Chapter Seven: The Vampire and the Midsummer Sun

Chapter Seven: The Vampire and the Midsummer Sun

The next day, I headed to the Sky Salon to meet Himeko, while Matsuri went to her part-time job again. Before we left, she told me in an upbeat tone that she was going to do everything she could for now, and that involved working hard at her part-time job so she didn’t besmirch Lady Saeko’s name. There were still glimmers of sadness in her eyes, but she wasn’t in a state of despair, which was a huge relief.

I picked up the pace, trying to reach the Sky Salon as quickly as I could. I rode the antique elevator all the way up, but sadly, it looked like Himeko wasn’t there yet. I ran through her plans in my mind. She didn’t have any meetings today, so I figured she’d be there soon.

Unless she just stays in bed forever because there’s no one to wake her up. Hmm, it would have been kind of a lengthy round trip, but maybe I should have gone to Himeko’s room first.

There was nothing I could do about it now, anyway. If she wasn’t here, I’d just have to take care of some cleaning and other odd jobs in the meantime. Someone had to do it, given that there were no other Sky Salon Seraphs still on campus other than me, Matsuri, and Sara. Matsuri probably wouldn’t be able to come back here until this problem was solved, and Sara had only just joined, so she’d probably be more focused on serving Lady Sakura specifically for now—not to mention that they hadn’t been able to do their tour around the campus yesterday. They’d probably do that first before coming to the salon.

That left only me to take care of everything. I worked as efficiently as I could to get everything ready before Himeko arrived. All I really had to do was clean up a bit and water the plants. The inventory had all been taken care of before the start of vacation, so that wouldn’t be a problem.

Oh yeah, I’d better take out the trash too. That was a surprisingly hefty task because the collection point was some distance away. Apparently, there had been one right behind this building before the new one had been constructed, but then they’d moved it closer to that. For burnable waste, it wasn’t too big a deal, but if we had a lot of cans and bottles to dispose of, carrying them all that way was kind of a pain.

The garbage collector was due to come the following morning, so if I didn’t take it out now, there was a risk of having to keep it here all the way until the end of vacation. We didn’t have too much right now, but there were some fallen leaves and all the trash from Lady Sakura’s welcome party, so it was better to take it out sooner rather than later. For now, it was still an amount I could handle on my own.

I decided that if I took the trash out first, then did the cleaning and plant-watering after I got back, I’d reduce the chance of missing Himeko’s arrival. Still, time was of the essence. I hoisted up two bags of trash and got back into the elevator.

Outside, it felt like the sun’s rays had gotten even more intense. It had only been a few minutes, but the air temperature was rising rapidly. I was pretty happy with my decision to take out the trash first; if I’d left it another thirty minutes, I’d have been sweating buckets.

On my way to the rear of the new school building, I walked past a number of students getting things ready for their club activities. Lady Kagura’s business plan seemed to fit with this school; Amanotsuka Academy was more of a sports powerhouse than I’d have expected going in. Lady Minako’s volleyball team was top of the list, but the school put up plenty of competition when it came to tennis, badminton, fencing, equestrian sports, and more.

This was Lady Minako’s last summer here, so she was probably training hard. I don’t know anything about the tournament schedule, but when this business with Matsuri is over, I’ll have to take some refreshments to the team and watch them practice. Maybe Himeko would want to come with me.

Musing over all that, I carried my bags over to the collection point. There was a ton of trash piled up there; apparently, a lot of other salons had taken their trash out just before the start of vacation. I added mine, then wiped the sweat from my brow. I was about to start heading back to the Sky Salon when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. Something leaping around.

It wasn’t small enough to be a bird. If I wasn’t mistaken, it was human—at least, it seemed that way.

Very odd. I thought back to what I’d seen the day before. I was pretty sure I’d seen Lady Angelica then, but I didn’t have any definitive proof. I still had none, but that shadowy figure definitely looked like her. Lady Angelica was a vampire, so she would be able to leap between the trees like that. After all, I’d seen her float down from the sky right in front of me. How could I think it was anyone else?

What’s she doing, though? She was beyond the gardens, among the dense wooded area. If she was doing some kind of patrol of the campus, she was surely moving way too fast. How would she explain it if anyone saw her?

Just as I was getting really intrigued, another figure appeared. This one was following after Lady Angelica—only it wasn’t leaping, but running along the ground. However, even from this distance I could tell it was still moving faster than should have been possible.

Ridiculous an idea as this was, it almost looked like they were playing tag. But Lady Angelica would never play a kids’ game like that, right? Maybe it’s some kind of training. Even that felt a bit like something she’d be past the point of needing anymore.

Man, I really want to know what’s going on. I’d been able to turn a blind eye yesterday, but this was getting too much.

Whatever was going on, if Lady Angelica had sprung into action using her vampire abilities, it had to be something she couldn’t discuss with normal students. Since I knew her secret, though, there was some chance I’d be able to lend a hand. I figured I could try to see what was going on, and if it turned out to be something way beyond me, I could just apologize and be on my way. I doubted Lady Angelica would blame me for it.

Well, it’s now or never. I have time, so I’ll get a little closer.

I crossed through the well-tended garden and ventured into the trees. The canopy blocked enough sunlight that I felt the air around me get noticeably cooler. There wasn’t a real path to follow, but the ground wasn’t too rough to walk on.

I’m pretty sure she went that way. I walked in the direction I’d last seen her going. The grounds behind the school had a lot of ups and downs, and when I turned back at some point, I realized I couldn’t see the buildings anymore. I tried to remember if there was anything nearby. As far as I knew, there would just be trees and more trees—there were no buildings in this direction.

It was starting to feel like a hiking expedition. Evidently, no one ever came here; the weeds had grown wild.

Just as I was doubting whether Lady Angelica had gone this way after all, I suddenly heard a soft squeaking sound above me. When I looked up, there was something clinging to a moss-covered tree. A black butterfly—no, a bat.

When my eyes met the bat’s, it made the same squeaking noise again. It was definitely directed at me. One thing was clear: this bat was very used to being around people.

My mouth opened wide as I started to cotton on. “Are you a friend of Lady Angelica’s?” I asked gingerly.

The bat squeaked again. Yes, it was saying.

“I knew it! Which means Lady Angelica must be around here after all, right?”

Squeak! Squeak squeak squeak! it answered, flapping its wings. It looked like this bat really did understand human language.

“I don’t really need to see her. I’m just curious about what’s going on, that’s all.”

I started walking toward it, intending to go past and be on my way. I even waved goodbye to the bat. However, continuing to squeak, it flew down and perched on my shoulder.

“You want to show me the way? Thanks, I appreciate the help!”

There couldn’t be any harm in letting Lady Angelica’s friend sit there. With this cute little companion on my shoulder, I kept walking through the trees. All the while, the bat kept squeaking, as if holding a conversation with me.

As I kept going deeper into the thicket, the temperature dropped even more. A thick fog hung in the air, and my skin grew cold. Suddenly, I realized I could hardly see anything in front of me at all. For a moment, I considered turning back, but after a few more steps I had a clearer view again, so I decided to keep going.

I think I’m way outside of the high school grounds by now. If I recalled correctly, going farther in this direction would lead to the university campus. I’d never gone over there, so I was kind of curious, but apparently it was even more expansive than the high school grounds, so taking a proper look around would take up a whole day. I didn’t even know if students from the high school were allowed over there.

I started to wonder if Lady Angelica had some business at the university—but as soon as I had that thought, I heard a strange noise from another direction. At first I thought it might be construction work, or a tree being felled, but it didn’t sound like that. It was more like a battle.

Maybe I really should turn back already.

Then I heard Lady Angelica’s voice. She hadn’t gone to the university campus after all. She was still off the beaten path, somewhere deep in the thicket.

What could she possibly be doing?

Whatever it was, I couldn’t just ignore it and turn back. With some trepidation, I moved closer to where the sounds were coming from.

I soon reached a small clearing. It didn’t look like it had been made neatly, though. It was like the trees had been forcibly mowed down. Now that I was here, I could hear voices more clearly. One was Lady Angelica’s, and the other I didn’t recognize at all.

“You’re wasting your time. Your techniques are centuries out of date.”

“Shut up. I don’t have to listen to you, vampire. Now be quiet and let me exterminate you.”

Huh? That’s a really weird conversation. Not the kind of thing I’d expect to hear at a school for young ladies, that’s for sure. What is Lady Angelica doing?

Peering from behind a tree, I could see that she was in full-on vampire mode, with bats swarming around the wings on her back. Facing her was a student I didn’t know in a Domestic Arts uniform.

Her short, chestnut-colored hair flicked up in a casual and straightforward manner, giving her a lively feel. Her distinctive features didn’t look Japanese. She had the active air of a sports player about her, and her ribbon color indicated she was a first year, like me. I couldn’t be sure since she was just wearing an ordinary uniform, but I didn’t get the impression she was Lady Angelica’s Seraph.

Maybe it’s some kind of challenge where if she beats Lady Angelica, she can become her Seraph? But then why would she have said she wanted to “exterminate” Lady Angelica? In fact, if I take what she said at face value, it sounds like she knows who Lady Angelica really is and is trying to take her down.

Wait! That would be pretty awful, wouldn’t it? She may not be human, exactly, but I don’t think she’s a bad person. Actually, I’d say she’s a good person. She’s working hard to make this school the best place it can be.

What do I do? I know I’m not strong enough to jump in and stop this, but that doesn’t mean I can just stand here and watch someone attack Lady Angelica.

As I stood there trying to decide, the girl pulled a string of garlic from somewhere and drew closer to Lady Angelica.

“Take this, demon cur!” she cried, throwing the garlic.

For an instant, I thought, So I guess you really do use garlic against vampires. But a second later, Lady Angelica casually tossed the garlic aside.

It flew toward me. With a yelp, I drew my head back.

The girl jumped down, covering a height of two or three yards in an instant. “Who’s there?!”

When I nervously peered out again, my eyes met Lady Angelica’s. Ack! What now? I tried to come up with an excuse, but nothing sprang to mind.

Clicking her tongue, the girl ran off. In the end, it looked like I’d managed to stop the fight after all. I get the feeling the danger isn’t over for good, though.

“Misaki?” Lady Angelica said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

She knew it was me. I decided there was nothing I could do but step out and show myself. “Erm, good day, Lady Angelica.”

Feeling very, very nervous, I walked over to her.

“Good day.” She folded her arms and sighed. “I’m impressed you actually made it all the way here.”

“You are?”

“One of my bats warned you, right? And I put up the fog as a barrier. You should have felt an urge to go back when you were passing through it.”

“Oh, uh, so you’re saying that that little critter wasn’t having a friendly chat with me? It was telling me to turn back?”

She paused a moment. “I would hope so, yes.”

“The fog was really heavy. I couldn’t see a thing for a minute. But then it cleared up again, and here I am.”

“Intriguing. I wouldn’t have thought you’d be capable of getting through it so easily. Maybe you’ve built up some immunity to my abilities after repeatedly being in close contact with me. Still, if anyone was to find me, best for it to be you. What were you doing around here anyway?”

“I was taking out the garbage when I saw you leaping through the trees. When I noticed the girl who was here just now chasing after you, I got curious.”

“It’s my fault for being careless. There aren’t usually too many people around here, and the visibility is poor, so I let my guard down. It didn’t help that I was being chased.” She sighed again.

“About that—why was she going after you? She said some pretty worrying things.”

“Hmm. Well, after what you’ve seen already, I might as well tell you. It’s better that way. She might have seen your face, after all.”

I suddenly had a very bad feeling about all this. “I’ll just pretend I didn’t see anything. None of this even happened.”

“If she remembers your face, she might approach you. Safer for you to be armed with at least some knowledge, surely.”

“Yeah, I suppose. Is she really dangerous then?”

“It depends.” Lady Angelica paused and thought a moment. “She doesn’t especially pose a danger to me, but she could be quite dangerous to a normal person like you.”

“Oh.”

“Let’s go somewhere else for now. She probably won’t come back here, but you never know.”

“All right.”

I walked through the thicket with Lady Angelica. After we passed through the wall of fog, a lone bat flew down from the sky. I was pretty sure it was the one who’d been sitting on my shoulder shortly beforehand.

This time it sat on Lady Angelica’s shoulder as it began to talk again. Squeak! Squeak!

“Yes, yes, I know,” Lady Angelica replied. “It’s not very effective on Misaki, unfortunately. It’s not your fault. You can go back on guard duty now.”

With a cheerful goodbye squeak, it left Lady Angelica’s shoulder.

“Erm, I’m sorry for being so dense,” I said.

I didn’t know if the bat would understand, but I said it anyway. It flew in a circle twice above my head, squeaking all the while, then flew off. I guess I should take that to mean my words got through.

“You’re not scared of bats?” Lady Angelica asked.

“Not really. I mean, normally I wouldn’t get so close, but it seemed okay since I was pretty sure it was a friend of yours. I guess if they’re tame, they’re actually pretty cute.”

She chuckled, looking slightly pleased. “I see. Well, all the bats at this school are associates of mine, so if you’re ever in trouble, you can tell the bats and they’ll pass it on to me.”

“Really? That could definitely come in handy, I guess.”

Who’d have ever expected bats to be a means of communication? They were kind of like carrier pigeons that could only be used by people who knew the secret.

✤

We sat at a table in the open-air café Lady Angelica frequented. There, she started to share all the details.

“That girl’s name is Lutia. She’s a first-year Domestic Arts student like you. As I’m sure you’ve gathered, she didn’t come here with the aim of becoming a maid. I suppose you’d call her a vampire hunter.”

“Sheesh.” It wasn’t the smartest response, but it was all I could manage when hearing a term like “vampire hunter” for the first time.

“She looked suspicious right from the start, so I’ve had my eye on her since she arrived, but she’s controlled her behavior so well that I started to think I was imagining things. She must have been gathering information, ready to finally strike during summer vacation.”

With an unruffled expression, she raised her coconut water with a slice of lemon up to her lips. She didn’t look like someone who’d just been under attack.

“So you’re saying vampire hunters are a thing? She’s not just role-playing and getting ideas in her head—that’s what she actually is?”

As I sipped my lemon squash, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d stepped outside of reality. None of this seemed possible.

“It’s true. As much of a headache as it is, vampire hunters really do exist. I’m almost impressed with her boldness, to be honest. I can’t believe she chased me all the way to Japan from my homeland.”

“Your homeland? Where’s that?”

“Ireland.”

“Really? You’re from Ireland?”

“I am indeed.”

Huh. Well, I wasn’t too far off, since Ireland is right next to Britain. I’d never have guessed she was from there, though.

“However, to my knowledge, there haven’t been any vampire hunters in many, many years. I wonder if something’s changed.”

“Are other vampires being hunted apart from you?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s tough to imagine that Lutia is acting entirely independently, but I’m lacking in intel. If she and her fellow hunters all went into action at the same time, the information wouldn’t reach me from Ireland right away. The others might not even think I’d be attacked when I’m all the way over here in Japan. This is a peaceful country, and I’ve been here for a long time. All other things being equal, I’m planning to stay here indefinitely.”

I decided it was better not to ask just how long “a long time” was.

“Anyway, that’s the long and short of it. I’d advise you to be cautious of Lutia. Even if you see her, don’t get too close—and if she comes for you, then call for help.”

I let out a nervous breath.

“How about this: for now, I’ll assign a bat to stay somewhere close to you at all times. If anything happens, just tell the bat and I’ll come running.”

“It’s like having my own cute little bodyguard.”

She giggled. “You could say that! I’m sure the bats can also keep her at bay for a while and give you time to run away.”

“Okay. I understand.”

To be honest, I didn’t really understand that well at all, but the key point was not going near Lutia. That I could manage.

With the discussion about Lutia over for now, Lady Angelica changed the subject. “So you’re not going home over the summer, Misaki?”

“No. Lady Himeko said that she was staying here as well, so I wanted to be by her side as much as possible, basically.”

“That’s fair. You know, I’m glad she met you. It’s made her much more interested in the goings-on at this school. I hope you can keep things going in that direction.”

“I’m not sure I—”

“Oh, speak of the devil!”

Before I could finish my comment, Lady Angelica was looking past me and waving. When I turned my head, I saw Himeko change direction to walk over to us.

“Oh, Lady Angelica. Good day.” She smiled gently, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.

“Good day, Himeko. I happened to bump into Misaki, so I borrowed her for a bit.”

“The timing worked out well. I was just wondering what I’d do if I went up to the Sky Salon and Misaki wasn’t there.”

“Interesting. Is something the matter?”

Apparently, Lady Angelica had picked up on a change in Himeko’s attitude.

“Yes. Well, it’s not us who are affected, but we do have a problem on our hands.”

Himeko kept her words pretty vague. It wasn’t public knowledge yet that Lady Saeko had canceled Matsuri’s Seraph contract. She’s probably trying to decide if telling an outside party is appropriate, even if it is the president of the student council.

“Is it better not to pry?” Lady Angelica asked.

“I wouldn’t say that. Hmm, actually I think it’s probably fine to share it with you.”

“Either way, it sounds serious.”

“It is, to be honest.” Himeko put a hand on her cheek and sighed.

“All right. If you want to, I’ll gladly listen and try to help. I don’t know if I’ll be able to, of course.”

“We’re at a point where even the slightest idea will help us form a plan, so any advice you can provide will be a huge help. It would be better to talk at the Sky Salon, so do you mind if we head there?”

✤

The three of us went to the Sky Salon. By now, Lady Sakura and Sara had shown up as well, having presumably arrived while I was following Lady Angelica. As far as I could tell, Lady Saeko still wasn’t there.

Spotting Lady Sakura, Lady Angelica went over to her. All at once, the room had an international flair.

“Good day, Sakura. Are you settling in well?”

“Yes. I’m grateful for all your help. I’ve only just arrived in Japan, but every day’s been full of excitement so far.”

“Glad to hear it. I’m sure that being here will help you achieve the future you’re dreaming of.”

“Undoubtedly. Meeting everyone here has been a true stroke of good fortune.”

Listening as they spoke to one another, I joined Sara in making some tea.

“Morning, Sara.”

“Good morning, Misaki. Did you take the rubbish out?”

“Yeah. My plan was to do it before Himeko arrived.”

“Ah, I see. Terribly sorry that I wasn’t here to help you.”

“No worries! I’d have managed it even if a little more had piled up, but I wanted to deal with it in time for tomorrow’s collection. It’s quite a trek to the collection point, so I figured it was better to do it now while there wasn’t too much to carry. It wasn’t all that difficult for me to take it there on my own.”

“I see. Well, I’ll be sure to take on that duty next time.”

“Maybe it would be better if we set up a formal rotation for it. Let’s all discuss it when Kirara gets back.”

“Good idea. Then it will always be clear whose responsibility it is.”

“Exactly!”

“By the way, what shall we serve Lady Angelica?”

“I’m not sure. I was just at the café on the terrace with her and she had a cold glass of coconut water. We have AC in here, so how about some iced Darjeeling tea without any ice? We could bring ice in a separate bowl and add some if she wants it, maybe.”

“That could definitely work. I suspect my mistress will want milk, so we could bring milk and sugar, too, and adjust it at the table to suit everyone’s tastes.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

We nodded to each other and set about getting it ready to serve. When we returned to the central table with the tea, the ladies hadn’t broached the main topic yet. Himeko and Lady Angelica were still telling Lady Sakura all kinds of things about the school.

After making sure everyone had tea and sweets, I sat down next to Himeko. My mistress took a sip of the Darjeeling to quench her thirst, then, still hesitating a little, started explaining the situation.

“So, the problem we’re having is about Saeko and Matsuri,” she began.

Taking a glance around, Lady Angelica replied, “Now that you mention it, I don’t see them here.”

I didn’t know where Lady Saeko was, but I had the feeling she might not come here for a little while. Matsuri, of course, was busy working at Erisu’s École Kitchen.

“You’re unlikely to see them here until the situation is resolved, I’d say.”

“It really must be something serious, in that case.”

“Yes. We don’t know what to do. It would be easier if Kagura were here, but in a way, it might be better that she’s not here.”

Fiddling with her cup in her hands, Himeko let out a small sigh.

“What on earth has happened?” Lady Angelica asked. “Before the start of vacation, they looked like a perfectly normal mistress and Seraph to me.”

“They were. It happened very recently. Let me ask you something: do you know the circumstances that led to Matsuri becoming Saeko’s Seraph?”

“I have a rough idea.”

“Good, then it’ll be fine to talk about it.” Himeko paused a moment. “As you might know, Saeko took on the debts of Matsuri’s family, and Matsuri’s work as a Seraph was to pay off those debts. However, not long after the vacation started, she fully paid off everything that was owed.”

“But that’s wonderful news. Matsuri must have worked incredibly hard.”

“She certainly did. However, this was also the cause of the problem. Because Matsuri paid it all back, Saeko decided that Matsuri couldn’t be her Seraph anymore and dissolved her contract.”

Even Lady Angelica was audibly shocked by this. “My word! Why would she do that? It definitely came from Saeko? Matsuri wasn’t the one who wanted to quit?”

“It was entirely up to Saeko.”

“But why? Surely she has no reason to do that.”

“That’s what we thought, but in Saeko’s mind, Matsuri became her Seraph purely in exchange for taking on the debt, so now that it’s repaid, there’s no reason for the arrangement to continue any further. Matsuri fulfilled her end of the bargain, so if Saeko didn’t free her from the contract, she’d look like someone who doesn’t fulfill her obligations.”

“Hmm.” Lady Angelica pressed her fingers to her forehead in thought. “She’s taking it far too seriously. Who would really be bothered by that except for her?”

Himeko took on the same pensive pose. “I thought the same thing, but I didn’t think there would be much use in saying it. She’s made up her mind pretty firmly.”

“Now that you’ve explained it, this is quite a pickle—in more ways than one.”

Falling silent, Himeko frowned, looking slightly troubled by Lady Angelica’s words.

Since I didn’t know what she meant, I decided to interject. “Erm, is this somehow a problem for more than just Matsuri and Lady Saeko?”

The student council president lifted her head and looked toward me. “Yes, it has far bigger implications.”

“It does?”

“As you know, Misaki, the ‘Seraph’ concept is unique to this school and involves entering into a special agreement called the Golden Contract. It’s a guaranteed offer from the mistress to come and work for her in the future. A student chosen for this is kept away from all other possible offers. You could say it’s a system to allow the lady to monopolize a particular maid. From the Domestic Arts students’ point of view, it’s a promise of future employment, so if they’re chosen, they’ll inevitably devote themselves to that mistress even more than before. However, if even one Seraph’s contract is dissolved, it will have a serious impact. In Matsuri’s case, there’s a more detailed explanation, but it’ll likely be seen as Matsuri working incredibly hard to meet her obligations, then being thanked with the loss of her contract. If other Seraphs come to know of this, how do you think they’ll react?”

“I see what you mean. If being a Seraph is meant to be a guarantee for the future, it would make them very uneasy to hear that it’s possible for the contract to be dissolved. Especially if they don’t know what led to it.”

“Indeed. It’s a problem that could shake the very foundations of the system. Don’t you agree, Himeko?”

“Yes,” Himeko replied uncertainly, her eyes wavering.

Only then did I realize that what Lady Angelica was saying also applied to me. I’d only become Himeko’s Seraph for one year, so in one year—no, it was closer to half a year by now—the very same thing would happen. Lady Angelica was unaware of this, but Himeko no doubt felt the weight of her accusation already.

“It would be one thing for it to happen to an Exousia, but for a student to lose their contract after being made a Seraph, there would have to be an exceptionally good reason. Otherwise it would lead to big trouble.”

For now, Himeko put our own case to the side and carried on discussing the matter at hand. “I suppose that doesn’t apply here. It’s happening because both of them are upholding the terms of their contract, which doesn’t give us much room to intervene.”

“Quite a conundrum indeed. They both believe they’re doing exactly what they should be.”

“Do you have any suggestions?”

“Not as such. One thought has occurred to me though. I’m wondering if Saeko might be feeling some regret.”

“Regret, you say?”

“Yes. Saeko’s an intelligent person. She might have started to see a problem with what she was doing. After all, she seems to like Matsuri, so she can’t be happy about breaking the contract. Deciding to let Matsuri go anyway might be a sign that she doesn’t think their existing relationship can or should continue.”

“What do you mean?”

“At first she made Matsuri her Seraph purely as a show of mercy. It was a way to save her family from financial ruin. However, after a year of having Matsuri in her service, she’s genuinely come to like her. Only she can’t forget about the particulars of how and why Matsuri became her Seraph to begin with. She might be doubting whether Matsuri genuinely wants to serve her. If there’s even the slightest resentment there, she’d rather cancel the arrangement altogether for both of their sakes. Maybe she decided that settling the balance was a good opportunity to draw a line under their relationship too.”

“When you put it that way, Saeko has looked distressed about the whole thing.”

“I am only speculating, of course.”

Speculation or otherwise, it sounded plausible to me. It fit with a lot of what we’d seen.

“Even if it’s true,” Himeko replied, “changing her mind will be no mean feat.”

Himeko had seen Lady Saeko’s stubborn attitude as well as I had. Whatever regrets she might have, it was clear that she intended to stick to her guns.

“I’m sure it won’t.” Lady Angelica paused and thought for another few moments. “Unless we can persuade her that there’s something more important than honoring—”

She was interrupted by the sound of the elevator arriving.

Every member of the salon was here other than Lady Saeko and Matsuri, so it had to be one of them. We were probably all thinking the same thing as we simultaneously turned to look.

Moments later, the doors opened and Lady Saeko stepped out. As soon as she realized we were all gathered here and staring right at her, she frowned and shrugged her shoulders.

“Good day, everyone. I see you’ve even invited Angelica here for tea.”

Her tone suggested that she knew exactly what we’d been talking about.

“Good day, Saeko,” Lady Angelica responded. “We were just discussing your abandonment of Matsuri.”

That reply was so direct that I screamed internally. So impressive! She doesn’t hold back even a little.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use such an odd turn of phrase. I certainly didn’t ‘abandon’ her. She fulfilled her side of the contract, so I released her from it accordingly.”

“So you say. I have the feeling those around you see it rather differently.”

“I don’t believe so. I’m a woman who upholds her contracts. There’s no reason to see it any other way.”

After her forceful reply, she didn’t wait for Lady Angelica’s response before heading over to her own personal space.

When she was gone, Lady Angelica smiled in amusement. “I can see this is going to take some elbow grease.”

Himeko sighed, then looked at me. “Misaki, why don’t you bring Saeko a drink?”

She was telling me to go and check on her. Honestly, I was worried about how she was doing too, and it would be a good chance to give her an update on Matsuri.

“Yes, milady.”

I went and made her a drink. She was fond of Earl Grey with a little milk and a little sugar, so I decided to purposely put in lots of sugar and no milk. I put some matcha cookies on a plate to accompany her tea, then took both over to her personal space.

“Lady Saeko, I’ve brought you some tea,” I called from the entrance.

She left a pause before replying. “All right.”

I came straight in and saw Lady Saeko reading a paperback book with a languid expression. After a bow, I silently placed her refreshments on the table.

Lady Saeko looked down at the cup I’d placed in front of her and froze for a moment. “This was a premeditated crime,” she murmured.

“What do you mean? I remembered you like Earl Grey, so I brought you some.”

She scowled at me, then took a sip. Then, putting on a false show of courage, she said, “Well, sometimes it’s nice to have it extra sweet with no milk.”

Stubborn to a fault.

“Matsuri’s staying in my room, by the way.”

“Oh.”

“Yesterday she was really down, but today she seems to have recovered a tiny bit. She went to the restaurant as usual.”

“I see. I don’t recall asking you, however.”

“If there’s any kind of message you’d like me to pass on to Matsuri, just let me know.”

“Nothing springs to mind,” she said after a moment. “If she’d like to have her personal belongings delivered to her dorm, I’ll arrange it.”

“I don’t think Matsuri will ask for that, so can you please keep them in your room for now?”

“You’re pretty mean, you know that?”

“Am I?” I replied with a look of feigned ignorance.

“Anyway, never mind that. Thank you for the tea and cookies.”

She waved me away. It was pretty clear that she wouldn’t be happy with me saying anything else, so I decided to obediently withdraw.

I went back to Himeko to report what I’d learned, even though the answer was “not that much.”

“How was she?” my mistress asked.

“It’s hard to say. I think she’s worried about Matsuri, but she didn’t show it very openly.”

Staring toward Lady Saeko’s personal space, Lady Sakura said, “I think coming to the Sky Salon is probably a sign, though. I think she wants us to do something. She had to have known we’d be talking about her, so if she decided to come here anyway, it’s like her subconscious is sending out an SOS.”

“Yes, I have that feeling as well,” Lady Angelica agreed.

Lady Sakura sighed softly. “Which makes your suggestion seem the most likely to get results.”

Huh? What suggestion?

Himeko sighed in a similar manner. “The timing will be awkward, but hopefully we can find a good opportunity.”

It sounded like the conversation had moved on quite a bit while I was talking to Lady Saeko.

“Erm, I don’t suppose you could tell me what you’ve decided?”

Potentially, it was something I could recruit Matsuri to help out with.

“I don’t think it’ll be that difficult,” Lady Angelica insisted.

“That what will be that difficult?”

Once she’d finally explained her idea, it actually made sense. This could work!

She concluded, “That’s it in a nutshell.”

One point about this was that it was better not to tell Matsuri. Matsuri had to be involved, but if she play-acted her part, Lady Saeko would never accept it.

My eyes met Himeko’s. Himeko had an important role in Lady Angelica’s plan—but at the same time, it felt like she was judging our relationship as mistress and maid. We both smiled very awkwardly indeed.