Chapter Eight: A New Bond
Chapter Eight: A New Bond
Several more days passed without incident. Lady Saeko came to the Sky Salon every other day or so, but she hardly spoke to the rest of us. She just stayed in her own private corner and spent her time reading.
When the time was right, we’d hopefully be able to persuade her, but the moment just wasn’t coming quickly enough, and it was starting to stress me out. Maybe it won’t even come until after school starts up again. If so, they’re considering going for Lady Sakura’s plan, but with Lady Angelica’s layered over the top. Then we’d have to ask for Matsuri’s help after all.
As the days dragged on, Matsuri kept going to work as scheduled. For me, having her there was pretty handy. Outside of her shifts, I got plenty of one-on-one lessons in cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry. I felt like my maid skills leveled up a little.
Today I was thinking about asking her to teach me more secret cleaning techniques, but when I waited in my room after her shift, she didn’t show up. It wasn’t like she’d promised to come straight home after work or anything, and I sometimes went out to see Himeko around this time. She’d probably just gone for a walk. On the surface, at least, she was back to her usual self, so there probably wasn’t that much cause for concern. Still, given the situation, I couldn’t help worrying.
My mind started running away with me. She wouldn’t try to break into Lady Saeko’s room, would she?
“I’m back!” Matsuri announced, putting that idea to rest.
Her voice sounded as cheerful as ever; my fears had apparently been groundless.
“Hi,” I said, going to meet her at the door.
Sweat was dripping down her face. Even in this sweltering heat, she had to have been doing more than just walking back to the dorm.
“Should I get a towel?”
“No, don’t worry. I’ll get one myself.”
She showed me a smile I hadn’t seen on her face in quite a while.
“Did something happen?”
“Yes. After work, I went and cleaned inside the school building. No one’s been in there to clean since the start of vacation, right? I realized it must have gotten slightly dusty. When I started, I got more engrossed than I’d expected. When I’m exerting myself like that, I can forget about everything.”
“Sure. Yep.”
Cleaning the school without anybody asking her to? That’s Matsuri all right, but it feels like she’s putting on a brave face to the extreme. It’s almost like she’s swung from a depressive state to a manic one. I hope she won’t have a sudden swing back.
Of course, the fact that she was feeling good right now was a plus. But if she’s doing something like this, she can’t be back to her normal self.
“You’re right that there’s no one to take care of it during vacation. Should I come and help out as well?”
“No, you mustn’t. You have to focus on serving Himeko.” She poked me in the cheek for emphasis.
“I guess you’re right. I’d better make her my priority.”
She giggled. “Definitely. If you have a mistress to take care of, she has to come first.”
“Right,” I said weakly.
Ugh, we really have to fix this quickly, but it’s not going to be easy.
✤
A few more days passed with frustratingly little progress. All the while, I was so focused on Matsuri that I totally forgot about my other problem.
One day, I went to the Sky Salon in the morning as usual, cleaned and took care of odd jobs, and enjoyed a nice cup of tea or two with Himeko. After that, I set out back to my dorm room—and came across a certain girl.
More accurately, she was waiting to ambush me. She stood imposingly on the path with her arms folded. With a scornful huff, she said, “Misaki Hotaru, right?”
Oh no. It’s Lutia.
Her chestnut-colored short hair and bright blue eyes were a rare sight at Amanotsuka Academy. It made sense that she stood out, though, since she hadn’t come with any intention of becoming a maid. That gave her something in common with me, but her reason for being here was very different from mine. She was a vampire hunter targeting Lady Angelica.
“No, that’s not my name,” I lied. “You have me mixed up with somebody else.”
Playing dumb, I started to walk past her, only for her to suddenly grab my arm.
“You can’t fool me. I’ve been researching you over the past few days. You’re actually sort of famous around here, so it wasn’t hard to get information. I’ve also discovered who you really are. You’re a minion of evil trying to help take over the school by cozying up to the highly influential Himeko Amanotsuka. You’re some variety of fiend operating under Angelica’s orders! And just like her, you’ll face my wrath!”
What?! What is she talking about?!
“None of that’s true! You’ve got it all wrong!”
I didn’t know what to do. Lutia was laboring under a major misapprehension. Evidently, she was the type of person to interpret information very freely and convince herself of things she’d made up.
“Will you please let go of me?”
“No. First I’m going to use you as bait to draw out Angelica, then I’m going to dispose of both of you at once.”
What now? Shall I cry out for help?
The second I looked around, I saw a small black form flying toward me.
Lady Angelica said she’d make sure a bat was always nearby. Now it’s come to rescue me.
Moments later, it was no longer alone; a whole swarm of squeaking bats bore down on Lutia.
“Dammit! You’re a vampire too! I knew it!”
Surrounded by the bats, Lutia was forced to let go of my hand and focus on defending herself.
A bat turned to face me and squeaked loudly as if to say, “Run!”
“Thanks,” I replied. “Don’t put yourselves in danger either!”
I ran to my dorm as fast as I possibly could. When I got to my room and looked out through the window, the bats were just flying up into the sky. Having successfully bought me enough time for an escape, they were swirling away in a flurry.
I’m glad they’re safe, but I still can’t believe how badly Lutia has misunderstood. She definitely thinks I was the one controlling the bats.
Groaning, I decided I had to talk to Lady Angelica as soon as possible. The only problem was, I had no way to get in touch with her.
That was when I remembered. I can ask the bats to give her a message, right? If they come back, I’ll give it a try.
Since they were still nowhere in sight by the evening, I cautiously opened the window to make sure Lutia wasn’t there. All was quiet; it looked like she wasn’t staking me out or anything. Maybe she’s retreated to form a new strategy.
“Erm, are there any bats around?” I called through the window. “If so, I have a favor to ask.”
Squeaking, a single bat flew over from behind a tree.
Ooh, how cute! I love how it comes when I call it! I wonder if you can keep a bat as a pet?
“Erm, I’m a little scared Lutia might be listening, so could you come into the room? I’ll give you a snack.”
Squeaking in reply, the bat flew through the open window. What a clever little thing! It understands everything I say!
“Do bats like fruit? I’ve got some apple pieces and milk ready for you.”
On the table, next to my own portion, I’d placed an apple cut into tiny chunks and a saucer of milk. I didn’t know exactly what bats ate, but this one gleefully flew over to the apple.
It’s eating the apple! I thought with excitement as I sat down on a chair.
“Are you all right? You and your friends didn’t get hurt earlier, did you?”
The bat squeaked and lifted up one wing as if to say it was totally fine.
“Thank goodness. Thank you so much for your help, by the way. You might have literally saved my life.”
I gingerly stroked the bat’s little head. It closed its eyes, reacting like a cat would. This critter’s so cute and charming. I’m starting to wish we could spend more time together.
“Anyway, I’m wondering if you can help me out. Could you take a message to Lady Angelica? I want to let her know that Lutia attacked me and ask if we can meet somewhere tomorrow. The more public, the better, since that’ll make it harder for Lutia to strike as well. Maybe we could go for the open-air café Lady Angelica likes? Maybe she’ll have anticipated this and will be there anyway. Still, I guess it would be best to set a time. Let’s say ten in the morning.”
After I’d finished, the bat flapped its wings. It seemed to be saying, “Leave it to me!”
The bat and I were still enjoying our little snack when Matsuri arrived. “Misaki, I’m back!”
I wonder if she went to clean the inside of the school building after work again. Wait, I hope she’s okay around bats. It would be awful if she’s scared of them.
I only had seconds to worry about this before she came into the living room and shrieked.
Gah! I knew it!
She collapsed to the ground and pointed at the bat. “Misaki! I’m not imagining things, am I? That’s a bat, isn’t it?!”
“I’m sorry! It seems to have gotten lost. I tried feeding it an apple, and it started eating it, so I’m playing host for now. It’s really, really tame. Look at how it’s eating the apple pieces. Don’t you think it’s adorable?”
“Erm, maybe.”
Looking exceptionally nervous, Matsuri sat up and crawled over to the table. Trembling, she poked half of her face up from behind the table to peer at the bat.
“That’s a fruit bat, I think.” Her voice was wavering as well. “They look kind of like foxes. It’s actually a little cuter than I thought. Maybe.”
Phew. For a second I was worried she’d suddenly lash out and hit the poor bat.
“Would you like an apple too, Matsuri?”
“Yes,” she croaked. “Yes, I think I would.”
Even after admitting the bat was cute, she must have still been afraid, since she sat down on the farthest chair.
“Can it fly? Is it going to bite me?”
“It’s a bat, so it can fly, but it wouldn’t bite anyone. It’s too smart for that.”
After serving Matsuri an apple and some juice, I stroked the bat’s head, prompting Matsuri to gasp.
“It’s awfully friendly around humans!”
“I told you.”
“Are you going to keep it as a pet?”
“I’d kind of like to, but I guess it’s not practical when I don’t live on my own. I wouldn’t be able to let it fly freely around the room, for example.”
“Yes, I can see what you mean. Still, if its roost is nearby, maybe it’ll come back again. Have you thought about giving it a name?”
“Good idea. It’d be easier to call it over that way.”
Which is more important than you realize, I added in my mind.
“Hmm, what would be a good name,” I mused.
A name for a bat. Well, I could go for the obvious.
“Something like ‘Batty’?”
“Or ‘Squeaky’ because of the sounds bats make?” Matsuri suggested.
Neither of these were the most inventive of names, but if we were focusing on how cute the little critter was, this was what we ended up with. I could go for a more chic and stylish name like “Black Rose,” but I’d only end up using a nickname like “Rosey” anyway. It doesn’t help that I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.
“It’s a fruit bat, right? What about something like ‘Fruitington’?”
As soon as I said that, the bat turned to me and squeaked.
“That’s it! That’s your name!”
“It sounds like it’s fond of the name,” Matsuri agreed.
I couldn’t know how the bat was really feeling, but it seemed to be happy with “Fruitington.”
“Maybe we could make it even more fancy. Something like ‘Fruitington III.’”
“A classy name for a very polite little bat.”
“In that case, from now on I’ll call you Fruitington III!”
When I called Fruitington III by its new name, it raised its wings as if to give assent. Then, with a flutter, Fruitington III went over to the window, apparently having had enough of the apple.
“I guess it’s time for Fruitington III to go home.” I moved closer to the window, ostensibly to say goodbye, then whispered into its ear, “Tell Lady Angelica what I said, okay?”
I got a soft squeak in return before Fruitington III flew out of the open window.
Watching Fruitington III’s departure, Matsuri said, “Pets are nice. Maybe if I had one, it would distract me from my loneliness.”
This was a very sad remark.
✤
I went to the open-air café slightly early the next morning, but Lady Angelica had arrived even earlier and was already sitting at a table.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Misaki, good morning. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
She didn’t have her usual easygoing air. Instead, she seemed kind of antsy. As soon as she saw me, she stood up and ran over.
“Yes, I managed to get away safely thanks to Fruitington III’s help.”
“Oh, that’s right, you gave her a name. She was really happy about it!”
“She was?”
“Absolutely! If anything else comes up in the future, you can give her a message anytime.”
“Thanks. Will do.”
We moved over to the table and Lady Angelica continued the conversation while cautiously watching our surroundings. “It sounds like Lutia remembered your face after all.”
“She also seems to think I’m a vampire for some reason.”
“Is that so? That’s definitely not ideal. I’ve finally received information from Ireland, and apparently they’re having similar problems there. Vampire hunting is a growing trend lately, especially among young people. They’re not strong enough to take us down, but it does cause problems for us if we’re trying to live a quiet life. What’s more, they might also cause harm to ordinary humans like you. At this point, I can’t leave it alone. I’d hoped to avoid escalating the situation, but it looks like I’ll have to deal with it properly.”
“Do you mean by fighting her, like you did the other day?”
“More or less, although I don’t think it’ll even qualify as a fight in the end. There’s no way she could beat me in a face-off. What we’re afraid of is that society at large will become aware of our existence again and persecute us. We have to nip this in the bud while it’s seen as nothing more than some youths acting foolishly.”
“Right.”
“Lutia won’t attack after sundown. Apparently, people like her believe that vampires are more ferocious at night. It’ll also be safe during the day if there are other people around, so my advice is to avoid being alone as much as possible. That said, if you are under threat, your new bat friend—Fruitington—should come and help you.”
“Got it. Just one thing, though.”
“Is there some other problem?”
“No, not really. Just that her name isn’t Fruitington, it’s Fruitington III. The last part is important.”
When I said this in an entirely serious tone, Lady Angelica had to stifle some hearty laughter.
“Ha ha, that’s so funny. If everyone was like you, my kind would be able to live in peace and happiness.”
Still smiling, she stood and cradled my head in her arms, patting it gently.
After that, she said, “I plan to take some kind of action in the next few days, so be extra careful until then, okay?”
Then she left.
✤
Beyond what she’d said, I had no idea of the details. What kind of action did she plan on taking in the next few days? It didn’t sound like she planned to do a citizen’s arrest and hand her over to the police.
In the meantime, I waited. When Matsuri and I were alone at night, the conversation often turned to Lady Saeko.
“Was she at the salon today, Misaki? Did she have any problems?”
Matsuri often brought up her (former) mistress. By now, she was able to talk about Lady Saeko normally, but I kind of had the feeling that this was because not thinking about her made Matsuri anxious.
“Yeah, she was there in the morning. As far as I could tell, she just sat there reading, same as always. I spoke to her a little, but I don’t know of any problems. Wait, now that I think about it, her uniform did look slightly more creased than usual.”
I had to really dig deep for this. It was an effort to find some kind of issue to mention.
“Ah, I’m not surprised. I wonder what she’s doing about laundry? Is she sending her clothes out to be laundered herself, perhaps? That means she’s not getting them ironed every day.”
Laundry was handled collectively, with the Domestic Arts students having a rotation for who was taking care of it. Everything was ironed before returning it, of course, but no one would give their clothes to the laundry service every day just to have them ironed. The only ones who would iron so frequently were Seraphs, but Lady Saeko no longer had Matsuri there to do it for her. She could have her there, though. I wish she’d change her mind already.
“I’ve been thinking as well, by the way,” Matsuri said. “About whether I can convince Lady Saeko to make me her Seraph again.”
“Did you come up with an idea?”
“Not really.” She shook her head sadly. “I think the easiest way would be to get myself into debt and ask Lady Saeko to bail me out. That’s all.”
This was the same brute-force method that Lady Sakura had mentioned initially.
“Won’t the same thing eventually happen again, though?”
“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.”
I still don’t think they’d have a “normal” relationship. That’s why everyone’s been struggling so hard to come up with a better idea.
Lady Angelica’s plan sounded the best, but it relied on an opportunity arising by happenstance. Unless that happened, the situation would stay exactly the same as at the start of vacation. Eventually, the only option left would be one like Kirara had taken. She could explain all the details in front of the whole school and then beg Lady Saeko to take her on as a Seraph again. It might not help, but at that point, it couldn’t hurt either.
Lady Saeko had told us she’d still say no in that situation, but maybe she’d feel differently in the moment. We’d have to stake it all on that.
Every approach we have is full of uncertainty. I just hope we can manage this soon! This must be what it’s like to be trapped in a maze with no way out.
However, it turned out that someone unexpected was going to break down the walls and give the maze an unplanned exit.
✤
I panted heavily, short of breath. How did I end up in this situation?
When I turned my head, I could see her. There was no mistaking it. Lutia was coming after me.
She was baring her teeth and holding up what looked like a cross and a string of garlic. I wanted to shout “I’m not a vampire!” but I knew she wouldn’t listen.
It had happened when I was on my way home from the Sky Salon. There had been no one around. Sure, I should have been more careful, but I’d never really believed she’d make me her target. I definitely made an easier mark than Lady Angelica, being an ordinary human, but surely researching me properly would have revealed that I wasn’t a vampire at all?
How much research could she really have done about me anyway? She’s not in a position to have access to my student records or anything. It’s more likely she just asked a few other students what they knew and counted that as “research.”
None of that helped right now, of course.
Learning from our last encounter, when the bats had gotten in her way, she hadn’t attacked right away when she saw me. Instead, she’d kept herself concealed and led me right where she wanted me.
That place was the new school building—specifically, the Societal Arts wing that was essentially its own building. Before I knew it, I was running into the building, having been ushered into her trap.
Now that I was inside, Fruitington III and the other bats wouldn’t be able to come to my aid so easily. It would be harder for me to contact them too. She’d clearly thought about this.
Well aware that it was completely improper and violated the school rules, I ran like hell through the building. Thankfully, there was no one else in sight to judge me.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, Misaki Hotaru. I’m going to use you as bait to draw out Angelica, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
While reeling off lines straight out of a villain’s playbook, she ran behind me at a distance of about twenty yards.
“I’m telling you, this has nothing to do with me!”
I didn’t know if she could even hear me, but I had to try.
Maybe Fruitington III is still somewhere nearby. She must have been watching me, right?
I charged up the staircase to the second floor and then kept running. Through the window, I saw a black shape.
“Fruitington III!”
Squeak! she replied.
“Please, you have to go get Lady Angelica!”
Having maybe decided she couldn’t come inside the building, she immediately turned and flew off instead. But will I be able to stay away from my pursuer longer enough for help to arrive?
The new school building had four floors—no, five if I could get up onto the roof. Sadly, I didn’t think my legs would get me that far. I wasn’t athletic in the slightest, and Lutia was rapidly closing the distance. At this rate, she would reach me on the third floor—and I’d be toast.
“Ha ha ha! You’re pretty slow for a vampire! Are you some kind of vampire dropout?”
I was too out of breath to say a word, but she made up for it by being free and easy with the disparaging remarks. I made it past the second floor and onto the next set of stairs, but by now Lutia was right on my tail. She caught up the moment I reached the top of the staircase. I turned my head and there she was, closing in on me with a jubilant expression.
Suddenly, I heard another voice. “Misaki?”
“Huh?”
I looked in front of me, and there she was. Matsuri.
My panicked reaction came far too late. I collided with Matsuri at high speed and knocked her sideways. I would have fallen backward down the stairs if I hadn’t just barely managed to grab onto the railing.
I only had a brief moment to feel relieved before Lutia grabbed my shoulder. That same instant, there was a loud smash as an expensive-looking vase fell to the floor.
“Oh no,” said Matsuri, deflated. Her hand was reaching out to the spot where the vase had just stood.
Because I’d bumped into her, she’d knocked the vase.
“Hah, now you’ve done it. I bet that’s worth a small—”
Before Lutia could finish commenting, a gust of wind blew past. It felt like something, or someone, had rushed past me with tremendous force, and suddenly Lutia was gone.
“Huh?” I exclaimed slowly.
I don’t know what just happened, but at least Lutia’s not here anymore.
“Matsuri, are you all right? I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault! It only got broken because I crashed into you!”
Although I hadn’t expected anyone to be there, Matsuri was cleaning the school building again, as she had been every day, all to distract herself from the loneliness of not being by Lady Saeko’s side.
“What? No. It wasn’t your fault at all, Misaki.” She looked empty inside as she stared down at the shattered vase.
“How can you say that? Clearly it only happened because of me.”
“That’s not true. Admittedly, the shock of you colliding with me did lead to me knocking the vase over. I could have caught it, though. I’m sure I could have stopped it from falling. But my hands wouldn’t move. There was a thought that flashed into my mind just for a moment: if this vase breaks, maybe Lady Saeko will help me again. That made me hesitate.”
She collapsed to the ground.
Lady Angelica approached from the end of the hall. “Neither of you are to blame for this. You can blame her.”
What? When?! How?!
In her right hand, Lady Angelica was holding Lutia by the scruff of the neck. Did that mean the gust of wind just now had been Lady Angelica?!
Lutia wasn’t moving a muscle. She’s only unconscious, right?
“Lutia’s got guts, I’ll give her that. She was determined to keep going after you. I’ll have to give her the punishment she deserves. But first...”
Lady Angelica crouched, then grasped Matsuri’s shoulder and pulled her to her feet.
“Matsuri, none of this is your fault. However, I’d like it if you kept this incident a little vague in your mind.”
Her eyes glimmered bewitchingly as she stared straight into Matsuri’s. Matsuri let out a gasp.
“Erm, is everything going to be okay?”
“Yes, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m just fogging up her consciousness a little to make sure she doesn’t find out about me. She’ll remember everything except for my involvement.”
“Right, okay.”
“Now then,” she said, standing up. It looked like she’d finished putting Matsuri under her spell, or however it worked. “Matsuri, you broke a vase.”
“Yes,” Matsuri replied feebly.
“Even if it was an accident, it won’t change the truth. We’ll decide among ourselves how to deal with it, so until then, stay in your room—or rather, Misaki’s room. Unless there’s a very good reason, just wait there, okay?”
“I will.”
With slumped shoulders, Matsuri started walking. Once she was gone, Lady Angelica gave me my orders.
“Lutia’s actions are unforgivable, but I have to give credit where credit’s due—she really helped us out here. Go and tell Himeko right away.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“We finally have a chance to bring Saeko and Matsuri back together.”
Lady Angelica showed me a smile and a wink.
✤
In a meeting room, Himeko exchanged glances with me and Lady Angelica. Frowning, she asked, “Matsuri broke a vase? How did that happen?”
It was a totally reasonable question. Someone as conscientious as Matsuri doing something like that on purpose seemed unimaginable, but the small possibility was there.
“It was my fault,” I replied. “I was coming up the stairs and I didn’t see Matsuri there, so I bumped into her and it made her knock the vase over.”
“Oh, really?” She didn’t quite sound convinced. “Are you both all right?”
“Yes, neither of us were hurt.”
“That’s good to hear. For the vase, we can just buy a replacement. In fact, the insurance should—”
Interrupting with a wicked smile, Lady Angelica said, “Himeko, you’re missing the point. This is a golden opportunity.”
“Oh! Yes, I see what you mean now.”
“It might not be the nicest thing for Matsuri, but we can use this to turn the screws a little.”
“Agreed.” Himeko nodded. “We can’t leave it too long either. Let’s set things in motion right away.”
“Good idea. I’ll use a school broadcast to call both of them to the Sky Salon. I think that’s the best place to draw a line under all this. You two should go there and wait.”
“All right. Let’s go, Misaki.”
“Yes, milady.”
Himeko and Lady Angelica were planning to use the broken vase to pressure Lady Saeko and Matsuri. If it all went according to plan, they’d go back to how they were before.
On the way to the salon, Himeko asked me, “By the way, why were you in the school building to begin with?”
My “Huh?” was more like a scared yelp. That’s a great question. Why in the world would I have been in the school building—especially the part with the Societal Arts classrooms?
“Well, Matsuri told me she’s been cleaning in there lately, so I went to help.”
I’m sorry for lying, milady! I don’t have a choice. Otherwise, I’d have to give away Lady Angelica’s secret.
“Fair enough. I can see Matsuri doing that.”
She seemed to believe me. I mentally apologized again, wishing there was anything else I could do.
✤
Using the school broadcasting system had the hidden goal of making anyone who heard wonder if something was going on with Lady Saeko and Matsuri. That was all part of Lady Angelica’s scheme.
Assembled in the Sky Salon now were me, Himeko, Lady Angelica, Lady Sakura, Sara, and the two girls in question.
“What’s the point of this?” Lady Saeko asked, indignation clear in her voice. Since she and Matsuri had both been called here, she no doubt had a general idea of what this related to.
Ignoring her sullen glare, Lady Angelica stepped forward, ushering Matsuri with her. “Allow me to explain. You see, not long ago, Matsuri broke a vase on the third floor of the Societal Arts wing.”
Lady Saeko shifted her glare to Matsuri. “What did you do?”
“I’m so sorry.” Matsuri bowed down in an apology so deep that her head practically reached her knees.
“Don’t blame her. She was just making sure the interior stayed spotless while no one else was cleaning it over vacation. Breaking the vase was nothing but an unfortunate accident, of course.”
“If so, then everything’s fine, but I don’t see what it has to do with me.”
“Think about it. Even if Matsuri can’t really be blamed for it, the fact remains that she broke the vase.”
“Are you suggesting I should take on the costs that fall to Matsuri? The insurance would cover all that—wouldn’t it, Himeko? And if you’re asking Matsuri to pay the deductible, I’m sure she can cover that on her own now that she’s no longer in debt.”
Himeko stepped forward to take over from Lady Angelica. “You’re right about that. We could use the insurance to pay for the broken vase. However, that’s not the issue at hand. This incident could be very bad for you, Saeko, which is why we wanted to bring both of the relevant parties together as quickly as possible.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Lady Saeko replied, folding her arms bad-temperedly. One thing was clear: she was not happy.
“There are witnesses to Matsuri breaking the vase, so it won’t be long before word spreads.”
This was a lie. No one had been there apart from us. However, Lady Angelica and Himeko had agreed to these embellishments beforehand.
“That alone wouldn’t cause a big fuss, of course,” Lady Himeko continued. “There have been plenty of things broken by accident before.”
“I would assume so, yes.”
“However,” she continued, saying it loudly for emphasis, “the timing is quite bad. As of now, nobody else knows that you’ve dissolved Matsuri’s Seraph contract. However, news of this accident will start spreading fast from today. By contrast, the news about you canceling the contract won’t spread until after school starts up again, I imagine.”
Deep ridges appeared on Lady Saeko’s forehead. She didn’t say a word, but it was clear that she’d understood what Himeko was getting at.
“What do you think the other students will think after vacation when they hear that Matsuri is no longer your Seraph?”
Lady Saeko remained silent.
“I’ll tell you what I think. They’ll think you dumped Matsuri over a careless mistake.”
“I can just explain what really happened. Dropping Matsuri’s contract had nothing to do with her breaking the vase. I honored my contract, as I should have done after she worked hard to pay off the debt.”
“Wishful thinking. Everyone here knows all the background, but the rest of the student body doesn’t. They’ll see you as someone who dissolved Matsuri’s contract—something that was supposed to be guaranteed job security for her future—because of a trivial mistake. They’ll see you as some kind of ogre.”
“Himeko, don’t you think you’re exaggerating slightly?”
“Perhaps a tiny bit. I think a healthy majority of the student population will see it in that light, though. Imagine if you were told a story like that. A Domestic Arts student broke something, and then she lost her Seraph contract. You wouldn’t believe any of the fancy justifications you heard afterward, right? They’d just sound like excuses.”
No words came from Lady Saeko’s lips. She knew that Himeko was right. When there was good news, plenty of people doubted it, but people tended to believe bad news when they heard it.
“As a result, you wouldn’t be seen as a trustworthy person who honors your contracts. Quite the opposite; your name would probably be raked through the mud. True or otherwise, you’d be the person who breaks contracts on the slightest of pretexts.”
Lady Saeko gritted her teeth in frustration. That kind of stigma could cause her serious damage. It would be the exact opposite of what she’d been trying to achieve.
Is this actually going to work?
Himeko took another large step forward. She looked pretty fired up at this point. “In any case, breaking a Seraph contract is fundamentally prohibited at this school. If there’s a chance the contract might be broken, the student shouldn’t be made into a Seraph in the first place. That’s what Exousia contracts are for. What you’ve done has the power to shake Amanotsuka Academy down to its very foundations. As deputy chairman of the board, I cannot allow it.”
Himeko stopped for a moment. For some reason, her gaze lingered on me for a second.
“If you’ve made a student into your Seraph, you need to take full responsibility for that person. If you can’t, you shouldn’t make her a Seraph to begin with.”
It sounds almost like she’s telling herself that rather than Lady Saeko.
With sweat dotting her forehead, Himeko lacked her usual elegant poise.
Falling silent, Lady Saeko cast her eyes down at the floor. For a short while, no one spoke.
At last, Lady Saeko looked up with a soft chuckle. “I never expected to hear that from you, Himeko. Not after how little effort you’ve been putting in. What’s brought on this change?”
Himeko’s face flushed. “This isn’t about me.”
“If you say so. Anyway, you’ve got me. This has the potential to cause me serious problems.”
On the verge of tears, Matsuri clutched her hands together in front of her chest. “I’m so sorry, Lady Saeko. It’s all my fault.”
“Yes, that’s true. I’m in quite a bind, and it’s all down to you.” She came closer and wrapped her hands tightly around Matsuri’s. “I think I was just insecure. I couldn’t let go of the idea that you were only serving me because you were trapped by the contract. It never occurred to me that you might keep working for me even after you paid off the debt. Matsuri, will you stay by my side?”
“That’s what I’ve wanted all along—now and always. From the day I met you, I’ve wanted to be by your side forever.”
“You’re such a fool. I’m not the kind of mistress you think I am. When you make mistakes, I punish you—physically, even.”
“That’s only natural if I do something worthy of punishment. I’ll accept any treatment if it’s at your hands, Lady Saeko.”
“I don’t understand why you’d put up with that. Someone as skilled as you could find a mistress who treats you with gentle affection. Still, if you say it’s what you want, I’ll believe you. Stay with me, Matsuri. I’ll train you even more strictly than before.”
“Yes, milady!”
Pressing their foreheads together, they made a fresh vow to each other. The mistress and Seraph who nobody knew had parted ways exchanged a new Golden Contract before anyone had a chance to learn what had happened.
✤
Now that she was finally back to her usual self, Lady Saeko was sitting at the table with Matsuri standing behind her. It was a sight for sore eyes.
“Himeko, charge me for the cost of the vase,” she said.
“I’m sure we can handle it under the insurance.”
“Forget about that. I made your lives difficult, so let me do this to make up for it. It’ll also be beneficial to my reputation.”
“If you insist.”
The mistress was taking responsibility for an expensive mistake her Seraph had made. This was sure to win over the hearts and minds of the Domestic Arts students. It would also provide a good justification for Matsuri continuing to serve her even after the debt was repaid. Anyone would be able to see that the reason they were together wasn’t because of some debt, but because of the unbreakable bond between them.
“Very well,” Himeko said. “Then I’ll have the invoice sent to you.”
She didn’t add anything else.
The cost of one vase was probably nothing to Lady Saeko, and in fact, when I asked about it later, Himeko told me she’d send her the invoice but actually use the insurance to pay for the vase. She wanted to set the money aside and give it back to Lady Saeko and Matsuri after graduation.
Matsuri decided to move back in with Lady Saeko that same day, but before she did, she went back to my room and cleaned it to perfection. Alone in my room, I felt a little lonely, but I knew that feeling would go away soon. I was moving back in with my own mistress, after all, so Himeko and I would be spending most of our time together.
Epilogue
“I’m so glad those two are back to normal already,” I said to Himeko.
“I quite agree.”
How long had it been since I’d last been in Himeko’s room? I was pretty sure it had only been a few days, but I was feeling quite self-conscious about it. I didn’t think this was just because I’d been gone. It was also because her words at the Sky Salon had left an impression on me. The speech she’d delivered to Lady Saeko had been directed just as much at herself.
Which means that with me, she—
My thoughts were interrupted by the telephone ringing with a call on the internal line. It was rare to hear the in-room phone ringing.
I picked it up. “Yes, this is Himeko Amanotsuka’s room.”
“Oh, Misaki, it’s you.” Lady Angelica was on the line. “Is Himeko there?”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Getting a call from her on the internal line was very unusual. It had to be a pretty urgent message.
“Lady Angelica for you, milady.”
“How odd. I wonder what she wants.” Himeko clearly had no more idea than I did. “Hi, it’s me.”
She paused while Lady Angelica spoke.
“What? Really?”
Whatever it was, it clearly was urgent.
“Yes, I’ll be fine.” Another pause. “All right. Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Then Himeko put down the receiver. Before I could even ask, she told me what she’d just heard.
“Angelica’s going back to her home country tomorrow.”
“That’s sudden,” I replied, immediately thinking about Lutia.
“What is her home country, anyway? It’s not springing to mind.”
“She’s from Ireland, isn’t she?”
“Yes, that was it,” Himeko replied, acting as though she’d known this and had just momentarily forgotten. “That sounds right.”
Did Lady Angelica use her powers to make her forget so she could hide her true identity more easily?
“She said that before she leaves, she wants to have a meeting to confirm our plans for the immediate future and make sure everything’s in place to continue without her.”
“That sounds like a lot of work.”
“She wants you to come with me, apparently. It’ll be one last chance to see you before she goes home, and a chance for you to put in any requests for souvenirs.”
“It would be nice to get something from her homeland. What’s Ireland famous for?”
“I believe they drink a lot of tea there, don’t they?”
“Sounds great. I can never have too many kinds of tea!”
I knew she was going mainly to try and deal with the vampire hunters, but I wondered if she’d feel like doing any sightseeing alongside that. Given how little threat Lutia was, I doubt she’ll be all that busy.
In my mind, I was so casual about the whole thing. I could never have imagined what was really going to happen.