Chapter Five: A Very Dramatic Monday

“Please! Let me be your Seraph!”

It was about two weeks after I started at Amanotsuka Academy. The Domestic Arts students were helping to lay the tables and serve lunch in the dining hall, all of them rushing back and forth as the young ladies of the Societal Arts program arrived to be led to their seats.

That was when it happened. One of the Societal Arts students—the academy’s high-class young noblewomen—was approached by one of the Domestic Arts students, the girls training to serve them as maids.

We Domestic Arts students were here learning all the ins and outs of being a maid while also serving the young ladies at the academy. We were being trained in cooking, cleaning, laundry, and every other skill that would help us take care of their every need.

Certain students, if they were very lucky, would find that one of the ladies took a fancy to them and offered them an exclusive contract. A maid who entered into the so-called “Golden Contract” was known as a Seraph, while one who entered into the “Silver Contract” was known as an Exousia. Either way, it meant they’d be serving only that one mistress during their time at school.

This was a special honor for the Domestic Arts students. It was a sign that they were recognized as particularly skilled maids, which in turn led to better grades and special perks like higher pay.

Seraphs had an additional benefit over Exousias: they were guaranteed a job after graduation. They’d be able to carry on working for their mistress in her household. There were exceptions, of course, but in general, being a Seraph gave a student a very special status at the academy.

Now, one of the Domestic Arts students was begging one of the Societal Arts students to let her be her Seraph. The former was there in front of the latter, bowing so deeply that her head was practically touching the floor.

In an instant, the room grew so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

The Domestic Arts students, who had been rushing all over the place, froze on the spot. The Societal Arts students filtering into the dining hall also began to stare, wondering what was going on.

Tension hung in the air. A cold sweat reached my temples. I’d only just joined the school, but even I knew what a terrible mistake this student was making.

She should really have known better, since she was the same student who had told me all the ins and outs of the academy: my roommate, Kirara.

The students in the Social Arts program all came from wealthy families who were able to make substantial donations to the academy. Typically, their parents or grandparents ran major companies or hospitals. In some cases they were related to famous artists or other celebrities. They were the kinds of girls you would normally only see in movies or on TV.

By contrast, the students enrolled in the Domestic Arts program were all like me. They came from the most normal families you could imagine. Unlike me, however, they generally had the ambition of working as maids in the households of young ladies like the Societal Arts students.

Maids and mistresses. The servants and the served. That was our relationship.

On top of that, the Domestic Arts students’ tuition and living costs were all paid for by donations from the Societal Arts students’ families, so we owed them a lot.

Which is why Kirara really, really shouldn’t be interrupting one of them when she just wants to eat her lunch.

Kirara herself had told me that you couldn’t just go around asking the ladies to let you be their Seraph. They had to choose us, not the other way around. Kind of obvious when you thought about it. Doing it anyway was considered rude, ungrateful, and generally pretty unforgivable.

Kirara’s the one who told me that! So why is she doing this?!

I did my best to keep my sudden dizziness in check as I gazed at the girl Kirara had prostrated herself before. It was Kagura Mikage, who had a stratospherically high status even among the other Societal Arts students.

The money donated by Lady Kagura’s family apparently amounted to an absurdly high sum. As a result, she had control over the highly popular Sky Salon, whose members were honored with the name “celestials” even by other Societal Arts students.

Being Kagura’s Seraph would guarantee anyone a rosy future. It would probably be more secure than getting hired by a company on the stock market. It was the kind of thing anyone would have on their wish list. The problem was, Lady Kagura already had two Seraphs: a pair of twin sisters both named Ayaka Kokonoe, though their names were written with different kanji.

The twins were a little different from the average Domestic Arts student, but putting that aside for now, the chances of Lady Kagura wanting or needing another Seraph were pretty slim. She already had two.

I mean, there’s nothing stopping her from taking on as many Seraphs as she wants. I bet a family like hers could easily have ten or twenty servants. I just haven’t heard anything about her wanting a new Seraph.

Why might I have heard such rumors? Well, fate had led me down a strange path, and I was now the Seraph of another Sky Salon member, Himeko Amanotsuka. It was no coincidence that Himeko’s unusual surname matched the name of the academy. She belonged to the Amanotsuka family, who had founded the school. She was a cut above the rest, for sure.

Now that I was Himeko’s Seraph, I visited the Sky Salon every day. There, I served tea not only to Himeko, but to the other celestials as well, so I inevitably picked up on bits of gossip—none of which in any way suggested Lady Kagura was looking for another Seraph right now.

I kind of have the feeling it’s not completely impossible, though.

Lady Kagura had a regal bearing, as you’d expect from the head of the Sky Salon. I still didn’t know her all that well, but I didn’t see her as a person who would just give the cold shoulder to someone making a serious request. I was sure she’d listen to what Kirara had to say, then answer accordingly.

Maybe she’ll be swayed by Kirara’s earnest enthusiasm and agree to it after all.

Kirara lowered her head again. “Please!”

The number of students gathered around them only kept growing. Everyone wanted to see where this was going—what Lady Kagura would do.

However, it wasn’t Lady Kagura that reacted first, but the girls on either side of her, the Kokonoe sisters. They took a step forward and formed a cross with their arms, blocking access to Lady Kagura like royal guards.

“Get out of here. Where are your manners?”

“You think you can just ask to be made a Seraph? Learn your place!”

They were only speaking the truth, but the sisters’ tone was a little harsh. Still, as Lady Kagura’s Seraphs, and as students from the year above, if they didn’t take Kirara to task, there was potential for this to lead to a breakdown in discipline. It was too great an outrage to go unchecked.

Even I knew that. Kirara definitely should have known. For some reason, she’d decided to go ahead and do it anyway.

Kirara made absolutely no secret of how eager she was to become a Seraph. She practically burned with desire. She was working twice as hard as everyone else to become a truly first-rate maid.

If Lady Kagura had responded at this stage with the same kind of strict rebuff as the Kokonoe sisters, all her efforts would have been wasted. No one will want Kirara as their Seraph if Lady Kagura brands her as a waste of space.

Kirara was the first friend I had made after arriving at the academy. If I could, I wanted to help her out.

Lady Kagura knows me, more or less. Maybe if I ask as well, it’ll at least let her sidestep the worst-case scenario. Should I, though? I bet Kirara wouldn’t want me to step in. If she did, she’d have asked me beforehand. She must have wanted to do this all by herself.

It was hard to just stand by and watch, though, knowing what I knew about Kirara and Lady Kagura. Lost in indecision, I stood frozen until I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

“What’s wrong, Misaki?”

The voice in my ear was a familiar one. It was my mistress, Himeko Amanotsuka. Maybe she’ll be able to smooth things over.

I turned my head and begged for her help. “Himeko, do something! Kirara asked Lady Kagura to let her be her Seraph, and now the Ayakas are standing in the way, and Lady Kagura’s not even saying anything!”

“Try to calm down, Misaki. That’s too much all at once.”

She gently massaged my shoulders. I felt the tension drain out of me.

With a slightly more level head, I thought it all through a bit more and explained the situation to Himeko a little more clearly.

She replied, “Right, okay. So the first-year student bending down on the floor over there is your friend?”

“Yeah. Her name’s Kirara Hoshino.”

Despite being admonished by the Kokonoe sisters, Kirara showed no sign of backing down. She stayed where she was and kept repeating her entreaty to Lady Kagura. The longer this went on, the worse her position was.

Himeko sighed into my ear. “No matter how badly she wants to be Kagura’s Seraph, this is a pretty reckless course of action. I admire her bravery, but it wasn’t a good idea.”

“Yeah, and Kirara should know better. She’s the one who told me how everything works around here.”

“I see.” She looked over at Lady Kagura and Kirara, but after a moment, she took her hands off my shoulders and said, “It doesn’t look like a situation I can stick my nose into. Better to just leave it to Kagura.”

“What? You’re not going to help?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not just coldly brushing her aside. I just don’t think my help is really needed.”

“But...!”

I couldn’t imagine how she could look at this situation and decide her help wasn’t needed. Clearly, Kirara was up a creek without a paddle.

When I pouted, Himeko chuckled and pointed toward Kirara and Lady Kagura. “See? Kagura’s making the Ayakas stand down.”

I looked over. After what felt like an eternity, Lady Kagura had raised both her hands to call off the Kokonoe sisters. “Ayakas, return to preparing my lunch, if you would. Everyone else, please go about your day. You don’t need to worry about me.”

She raised her voice for the latter parts to ensure that all the onlookers heard. Not once did she look in Kirara’s direction.

“Understood,” said the twins in perfect unison. They walked off and continued with their tasks.

Kirara stayed in place with her head lowered, but Lady Kagura showed no sign of saying anything to her. The Societal Arts students started moving again with nonchalant expressions, while the other Domestic Arts students nervously returned to their posts.

“Does that mean it’s over?” I asked.

“For now, I guess,” Himeko replied. She didn’t sound all that convinced, and it didn’t look like things had been wrapped up neatly or anything.

“What do you think’ll happen to Kirara?”

“Nothing, probably. Kagura’s decided not to do anything, so that should be the end of it.”

“Huh? Really?” I couldn’t follow at all. What did that mean?

“Now, come on. Show me to my seat and get my lunch ready. Yours too, of course.”

“Sure, I guess,” I replied hesitantly, feeling a cold sweat on my temples again.

In theory, there were no assigned seats in the dining hall. Everyone could sit wherever they wanted. However, there were a lot of unspoken rules, with plenty of seats essentially reserved for members of specific salons. This included Himeko and Lady Kagura—and as Himeko’s Seraph, I was a member of the Sky Salon too, and had to attend to her needs during lunch. That of course meant I had to sit and eat lunch with her.

Part of me wished I could eat with my classmates instead, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I had to prioritize Himeko.

Since Himeko always sat by Lady Kagura, leading her to her table would mean going right over to where Kirara was still bowing down on the floor. It felt very, very awkward. I didn’t know what I would say to her, or whether I should say anything at all.

When I didn’t start moving, Himeko took my hand and pulled me along. “Let’s go.”

“But what are we going to do about Kirara?”

“I told you, we don’t have to do a thing. It’s up to Kagura, and she’s clearly decided she isn’t all that bothered. We don’t need to start worrying on her behalf.”

“You really think we can just leave her like that?”

“Yup, I do.”

Himeko walked over to Lady Kagura and said hello, then sat down in the seat right across from her—the same seat she always took.

“Now, Misaki, bring me my lunch.”

“Oh. Right.”

As I set about doing so, I couldn’t help wondering if it was really okay to just leave Kirara on the floor like that. It felt kind of mean. I glanced over at her a few times, but she stayed in the exact same position and didn’t look at me once.

Is she going to stay like that all through lunch?

I really, really wanted to comment on it, but Himeko had said not to step in. She was my mistress, so I had to listen to her.

My one consolation was that Kirara never lifted her head and met my gaze. If she’d looked right at me, I was sure I’d have ended up saying something.

After lunch that day, I had absolutely no memory of what the food had tasted like.

✤

When I got back to the classroom after lunch, I made a beeline straight for Kirara.

“Kirara, have you got a sec?”

“Sure. What is it?”

In the end, she hadn’t even eaten. She’d just stayed there with her head on the floor until Lady Kagura left. As much as I admired her courage and determination, it didn’t seem like her plan was all that effective. Lady Kagura hadn’t said a single word to her. Nor had any of the other Sky Salon members sitting at the same table; they’d all followed Lady Kagura’s lead and eaten quietly.

I had sat among them, the lone first year at the table and the only one getting worked up. As Kirara’s friend, I was starting to think I should have tried a bit harder to convince Himeko to step in.

“Uhm, I’m sorry,” I said, trying to express my regret for not doing more.

“What do you have to apologize for?” Kirara bluntly replied.

“I mean, I know you didn’t exactly ask for my help, but I still feel like I should have at least asked Himeko to say something, even if it did get me in her bad books.”

“Hey, like you said, I didn’t ask for any help. This is something I chose to do all on my own. I know it’s a little crazy, but that’s how eager I am to be Lady Kagura’s Seraph. There’s no other way to get her attention.” All the while, Kirara kept her gaze fixed straight ahead. Her eyes betrayed no hint of regret or self-doubt.

“If you like, I could try talking to Lady Kagura directly. Put in a good word for you, maybe.”

“I told you, I don’t need your help. You just keep living your life, Misaki. Act the same tomorrow as you did today. This is my battle to fight.”

Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?

“Are you saying you’re gonna do it again?”

“You bet I am. Until Lady Kagura herself tells me to stop, I’m never giving up.”

I groaned softly. Her ability to stay positive despite being ignored so completely was kind of impressive, but all that tension in the air had been too much for me to handle. “But why? Don’t you think it’s a little reckless?”

Kirara raised one eyebrow and glared at me with loathing. “Why? Ha! You’re one to talk.” She jabbed me with a finger to punctuate this.

“Me? What did I do?”

“Of course, perfect little Misaki could never hurt a fly. Why, you have no idea about your own wicked ways.”

“Wicked ways? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t try to deny it. Think back on what happened after you became Lady Himeko’s Seraph—and what you said to me.”

Huh? What’s she talking about?

I furrowed my brow and thought as hard as I could.

Oh, right. I know.

✤

It was the first weekend after Himeko made me her Seraph. After drinking some tea at the Sky Salon, we both went back to her room like always.

“Misaki, why don’t you stay the night?”

“Huh?”

I’d been spending time in Himeko’s room almost every day. This was largely because Himeko had gotten very into the spirit of having a Seraph and was eagerly giving me orders to do stuff for her, like cleaning up and helping her get changed.

When I suggested that if she’d wanted a Seraph that badly, she should have picked someone a little more qualified, all she would say in response was “I have my reasons.” It sounded like she didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t press the matter, but it was definitely puzzling.

It was up to her, at the end of the day. I’d agreed to serve her for one whole year, and I was basically equivalent to a contractual employee. If she didn’t want to say anything, that was her right.

There was some give and take involved in our relationship, but we were coexisting pretty comfortably, all things considered.

Still, I hadn’t expected this new proposal. It came when I’d just taken her clothes off after she asked me to help her change into something more comfortable.

“Stay the night? In your room, you mean?”

“Where else?” she said with a grin, slipping her arms into the sleeves of the frilly blouse I was holding up.

“I’m fine with it, but is that kind of thing allowed?”

It was early spring, so there was still a slight chill in the air. For warmth, I added a purple poncho over the blouse, with a lacy pattern at the hem. The skirt I’d picked out was a gray flared one with a low-key feel.

All of these were gifts from her parents. They looked like the same kinds of things you could buy anywhere, but I could tell from touching them that there was a big difference in quality. They had probably cost quite a lot.

What a waste that she left them all untouched.

“Not for normal students, obviously. Seraphs are the only ones permitted to stay in anyone else’s dorm. Even Exousias aren’t allowed.”

I wasn’t sure about staying the night. It would mean I’d be with Himeko right up till bedtime, so I’d have to spend longer taking care of her.

Noticing my uncertainty, Himeko asked, “Are you worried you won’t have any time to study?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

The reason I’d come to this school was because not only the tuition, but also the room and board were totally free. What I hadn’t expected was that to make up for it, I’d be forced to train to be a maid. We hardly had any normal classes, so if I wanted to keep pace with students from other schools, I’d have to put in a lot of extra effort on my own. A great deal of my free time was going to be taken up by studying.

“I don’t mind, though. I’ll stay the night if you want me to.”

“Really?”

After thinking it over a little, I’d changed my mind. It wasn’t that working as a maid was completely unenjoyable, after all. I was used to doing all the chores on my own to begin with, so I didn’t hate housework or anything. Plus, I was earning good money from being Himeko’s Seraph.

I can put off some of that studying until next year and figure it out then. In the meantime, I might as well immerse myself in this strange new environment and enjoy it as much as I can.

“Sure, I’ll stay here. I am a little worried that you’ll start giving me weird orders, though.”

It seemed like Himeko had been dreaming of finally experiencing life with a Seraph, which meant her invitation to stay was all part of that.

Himeko pouted, puffing her cheeks out. “How rude. When have I ever asked you to do anything weird? Everything’s been well within the realms of normal maid duties. Besides, staying the night will earn you a ton of overtime pay, so it’s for your benefit, too.”

“I was only kidding.”

Just like I was trying to take Himeko’s needs into consideration, she was thinking a lot about my circumstances as well. She was the best mistress I could’ve hoped for.

I continued, “But if I am staying the night, I’ll have to go back and grab a few things.”

At the very least, I’ll need fresh underwear for tomorrow and pajamas for tonight. I’ll also need a toothbrush and a towel. Maybe I can just borrow one of Himeko’s towels, though.

I wasn’t sure what to do about bathing, and I wanted a complete change of clothes for the next morning. Going back to my own room first felt like a requirement.

“Nah, we can just buy everything you need,” she replied with a proud smile.

“We can?”

“You’ve seen the stores on the first floor of the dorm, right? You can buy all kinds of things there, from delicious treats to daily necessities.”

Just as she said, the Societal Arts students’ dormitory, François House, had a range of trendy-looking stores that reminded me of hotel shops. I’d only peeked in from the outside, but all the artfully displayed goods looked very expensive. For me, stores like that were a different world.

There was even a gift shop. It made me want to be like, “Are high school students really going to use that?”

Still, when I thought about it, the Societal Arts students were well-to-do young ladies. There were probably all kinds of reasons they’d need to buy stuff at particular stores. Reasons a commoner like me could never even imagine.

The one store I’d seen that looked like it might actually be relevant to me was similar to a convenience store, but far more spectacular. It certainly did sell both treats and necessities, as Himeko had said.

There was one slight problem, though. “You do realize I’m flat broke?”

Tragic as that was, it was the truth. Technically I did have a tiny bit of cash, but that didn’t mean I could waste it. My wages weren’t going to arrive until the end of the month. I had to be frugal until then.

Himeko sighed in frustration. “When did I suggest you’d have to pay for anything? This is all my idea, so obviously I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh.”

“Is that it? ‘Oh’? Let’s just get going.” Exasperatedly, she took my hand and pulled me toward the door.

“Take care of it? You mean, you’ll pay for it all?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“I can’t let you do that.” Even if she was the deputy chairman and had money to spare, that didn’t mean she should be using it to spoil me.

“What’s the problem? I’m the one who asked you to stay the night out of nowhere. I went in expecting this.”

“But I could just go back to my room and get all the things I need.”

The more I insisted, the more annoyed she became. She turned to face me. “Could you please learn to read the room just a little? I’m telling you I want to go shopping with you. I want to buy you what you need for an overnight stay.”

This stopped me in my tracks. Basically, she’s saying she really wants to buy me new things, so I should go along with it. I kind of wish she’d just said that in the first place.

“I see where you’re coming from, but I still think I should pay for it myself. I’m the one who’s going to use it all.”

“How? Aren’t you broke?”

“On credit, maybe?”

“They don’t offer that.” She gave a self-satisfied snort of laughter at defeating my plan so easily. “Misaki, you can be really stubborn sometimes, but you really don’t need to combat me on this one. I want to spoil you a little, so just accept it. As if I’d make my Seraph spend her own money. People would start gossiping about me. They’d say I was a good-for-nothing wretch who can’t even take proper care of one Seraph.”

“Really? That’s crazy!”

“That’s how it is. Actually, even if you did have cash, you still wouldn’t be able to use it in these stores. You need a special card.”

She reached into her wallet and pulled out a small black card. It didn’t appear to be a credit card, but it had an aura of celebrity chic about it.

“I guess you must be able to use cash in your dorm, but in ours, you have to pay for everything with one of these.”

“Gosh.”

Himeko explained that they had a certain amount of points added every month, and within that they were able to buy as much as they wanted. It sounded sort of like an allowance. I imagine it’s so they don’t have to carry around large amounts of cash, and to prevent them spending far too much.

When I asked how much the monthly allowance let her buy, she indifferently replied, “Who knows? I’ve never used it all up, so I don’t know what the limit is. It’s all calculated in points, anyway. I don’t even think about the real prices.”

“I see.” I wondered if that was because Himeko didn’t go shopping all that much or because the amount of points was so large that using it all up was unrealistic.

“Anyway, you understand now, right? Let’s just go. If it makes you so uncomfortable to have any money spent on you, you can think of your work for me as repayment.”

That was enough to clinch it. I was able to convince myself that this was okay. “Fair enough.”

And so, we finally headed to the shops.

✤

“Maybe we should start with your underwear.”

The first store Himeko brought me to was filled with basic commodities. Just seeing the window display, with its obviously expensive items such as elaborately designed tea sets and aromatherapy pots made me sigh. I instinctively looked for the price tags and only barely caught sight of them; they were so small that they could easily be overlooked.

“Hmm... Aromatherapy pot, twelve hundred points. Tea set, four thousand points.”

Of course it’s all labeled in points. Could one point be equivalent to one yen? It would be pretty normal for the goods they sell at a school to be cheaper than the ones you’d get in the outside world. School and office cafeterias tend to cost about half as much as eating anywhere else, and it’s the same principle, right? If so, these are pretty good deals considering they’re targeted toward wealthy young ladies. Maybe it’s meant to be educational and give them some sense of how the other half lives?

“Misaki, why are you dawdling back there?”

“Oh, sorry! Coming!”

Putting a hand on my chest in relief at this shop apparently not being as pricey as feared, I followed Himeko inside.

Immediately, I was met with a vast array of goods: cutlery and dishware like the tea set in the window, along with furniture, stationery, and interior decorations. At the far end, a partition bearing the store’s logo separated the rest of the store from what appeared to be a stylish boutique.

When we stepped into that section, we entered a world of opulence. In the center hung dresses of every color imaginable—not mere dresses, in fact, but full-blown ball gowns.

Is there really a market for these here? I suppose if they’re selling them, there must be demand. They definitely don’t sell anything like this in the Domestic Arts dorm!

As I gazed at them, fascinated, Himeko asked gleefully, “Would you like one?”

I shook my head. “I’d never even have a chance to wear it.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. You can’t go to a ball without a gown.”

“So? I’m not planning on going to any balls.” And yet, the serious tone with which she’d said that made me wonder if there really were balls held on campus.

“If you’re interested, I can take you to any number of them.”

“I respectfully decline.” Far, far too embarrassing.

“What a shame. I think going to a ball with you would be good fun.”

Slowly but surely, I was realizing that the Societal Arts students lived in a whole other dimension. “Weren’t we here to buy underwear?”

“I suppose. Oh well, I can buy you a dress some other time.”

I couldn’t imagine when or why she would need to.

Himeko ushered me over to a booth with underwear on display. I reluctantly obeyed and found that the items were decadent enough to give the dresses a run for their money. Lingerie shops were always like a beautiful flower garden, but this was a step beyond that. All kinds of designs, from cute to sexy, were exhibited in glass cases like precious jewels.

“Can I help you at all?” As we browsed, a woman whom I assumed was a sales clerk rushed over. “Oh, Lady Himeko! I didn’t realize it was you!”

She appeared rather flustered. I’d have expected an employee here to be used to dealing with the Societal Arts students, but Himeko was a cut above the rest. With her long, silky hair, her hair clip that looked like angel feathers, and her almost supernaturally good looks, she drew the eye in a way that the other students couldn’t.

On top of that, she was the academy’s deputy chairman of the board. No wonder that she was treated a little differently.

The sales clerk, who didn’t look much older than me, pressed her hands together and bowed deeply. “What are you looking for today?”

It looked as though she had snuck a glance at me to appraise me, but that might have been my imagination.

Himeko put an arm around my shoulders and pushed me forward slightly. “I’d like you to pick out some underwear for Misaki here. A few matching sets of bras and panties.”

“Coming right up. Shall I measure her?”

I shook my head in a panic. “No, there’s no need for that.” My measurements were something I could just tell them. “I’m 30A.”

It was embarrassing to say it out loud, because I really wasn’t exactly gifted in the bosom department—which was especially obvious standing next to Himeko.

As if to underline this, Himeko grabbed my breasts from behind and started fondling them. “Goodness, they are small!”

“Hey! What are you doing?” I exclaimed in a frenzied tone.

As if this was perfectly normal behavior, she said, “I really thought they were a little bigger. Still, they’re nicely shaped.”

She carried on touching me without any restraint, speaking in a manner as if she were judging the ripeness of fruit.

After trying to regain my composure, I said glumly, “I put a lot of effort into pushing them up.”

The reason I didn’t freak out even more about this was that I was getting used to this treatment. The Kokonoe twins had been very hands-on as well.

“I guess you don’t need to do anything like that.” The feel of Himeko’s voluptuous chest on my back made it clear that there was a huge difference in volume between mine and hers.

She took her hands off me and appeared to seriously consider the thought. “Yes, I’ve never really needed to think about it. Maybe I’ll give it a try, though. It would be interesting to see how mine would look if I pushed them up like yours.”

“I really don’t think you need to.”

What would be the point in making them look even bigger?!

Seeing a gap in our conversation, the employee took the opportunity to jump in with some sales talk. “If you’re looking to enhance the shapeliness of your bust, how about these?”

She pointed toward some bras arranged in one of the glass cases and began to explain all the details to Himeko.

“They don’t look bad at all, but I wonder if Misaki likes them. Misaki?”

The bras the sales clerk had suggested were all elegant and luxurious pieces, finely decorated with things like large embroidered roses. They looked very expensive, and I couldn’t imagine ever wearing them. Himeko looked great in whatever underwear she wore, no matter how elaborate, but I could guarantee I wouldn’t look right in anything like this. A commoner like me was meant to stick to plain white underwear, or a check pattern at most.

It didn’t look like I’d have much luck finding anything like that in here, however. I suppose it is a shop for the young ladies from the Societal Arts program. It’s only natural that they’d sell products geared toward them.

“I’d prefer something a little more plain,” I replied.

“Come on, no need to hold back.”

“I’ve just never worn anything this extravagant before.”

For me, all that really mattered was the size, so I’d never paid more than 1,000 or 2,000 yen for a bra. I’d never had enough spare cash to spend any more than that on underwear alone. Even the ones from the 100 yen shop were good enough for me.

“Looks like I’ll just have to choose for you.” She peered through the glass and pointed out three different designs to the clerk. “I’ll take this one, this one, and this one. With panties to match, please.”

I looked over to see what they were like. One of them had a relatively simple design, as though she had taken my opinion into account. It was white with cute little pink flowers. The other two were the exact opposite. The embroidery on them was so ornate that I was a little taken aback. One was pale blue with roses on it, and the other was light gray with tiny ribbons. They both had frills on the straps and at the bottom of the cups.

These bras had a vaguely adult feel to them. I imagined they’d really suit Himeko, but I’d just find myself weirdly outshone by my underwear, especially in combination with the matching panties.

They say “clothes make the man,” but I really don’t think they’d make the girl in this case. Quite the opposite—they’d just make me look silly.

“Are these enough, or do you want more?” asked Himeko.

“No! Three sets is plenty. I’m only staying over for a single night, so really one is all I need.”

“This won’t be a one-off, though, so isn’t it better for you to have a few pairs of fresh underwear you can leave with me?”

“You want me to stay the night more often?”

“Aah, you should probably have your own toothbrush and chopsticks at my place, too. Let’s buy a matching set of cups for the bathroom, too!”

She’s acting like I’m moving in with her! I didn’t say anything, but I was sure my glare at her conveyed this thought. “If you tell me in advance, I can just bring over everything I need.”

“In that case, you should prepare yourself for staying over every weekend.”

“Every weekend?”

Himeko’s eyes glimmered as she offered me an impish smile. “You don’t want to?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I just don’t quite get what it involves. What do you plan on making me do? It’s quite a few hours until bedtime.”

“Good question.” She put a finger on her chin and mused over this. “We can eat dinner together, then stay up late having a lively chat. Things like that.”

“Is that all part of a Seraph’s job too?”

“Absolutely. Waiting on your mistress is a big part of it, of course, but keeping her entertained in her leisure time is also pretty important. One of the key parts of being a Seraph is just being with your mistress, whatever you’re doing together.”

That feels less like a being a maid and more like being a friend, or even a little sister. Maybe that’s what Himeko’s been hoping for all along.

“Then, in the morning, you can make me some tea and gently wake me up. Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful start to the day?”

“Sure.” I bet it is for the one being woken up. “I’ll do what I can to meet your expectations, so please, please try to keep those expectations in check.”

As a maid, I was still a total newbie. It made me a little uncomfortable for Himeko to have it all planned out when I still didn’t know if I could do a good job.

“Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to do it all perfectly on the first try. I hear that watching your Seraph grow and improve is one of the joys of being a mistress.” She smiled with narrowed eyes. “Now, let’s pay for the underwear and move on to the other things. After that, let’s get something to eat.”

“Whatever you want. I’ll leave it all in your hands.”

“How lovely! Then I’ll go and settle up. But first...” Himeko turned to the sales clerk, who was taking the chosen items out of the glass case. “I’d like all the same ones, please, but in size 32C.”

She’s a C cup? That sounds about right. Not that I didn’t know this already, but man, she has such a great figure. Reflexively, I put my hands on my own breasts and felt their size. If only they were a tiny bit bigger. Maybe then I wouldn’t look so ridiculous in fancy bras.

“Whatever are you fondling your own breasts for?”

Himeko had apparently finished paying for the goods. She tilted her head and looked at me quizzically.

I hurriedly dropped my hands down to my sides. “No reason! Hey, let me carry the bag.”

“Are you sure? Then I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.” She handed me the paper bag filled with underwear for two.

“Great!”

She had handed me the receipt as well, which gave me a chance to peek at it. The total printed on there was 13,000 points, meaning each set, consisting of one bra and one pair of panties, cost around 2,000 points. That sounded like a fairly low price, but that made sense to me.

After all, even if the clientele consists of wealthy young ladies, they are still students, so their allowances can’t be that big. Or maybe one of the girls here is related to the owner of the company that makes them, so they have a special deal in place.

In any case, the fact that you could buy such nice things for such a good price here was pretty intriguing. I started to scheme about asking Himeko to bring me here again once I’d gotten my paycheck.

Himeko eagerly bought me a toothbrush and rinsing cups, along with matching ones for her. The prices were in the region of 100 to 200 points, which also felt very reasonable. Overall, I was pleased that none of it was costing Himeko too much.

It wasn’t until we went to get a snack that I started to have my doubts.

Himeko led me to the food court, which had an array of vendors selling the same kinds of Japanese and Western sweets you’d see in convenience stores. They all seemed fairly popular, with Societal Arts students swarming the area and scrutinizing the offerings with serious expressions. When it came down to it, even they were teenage girls like any others. They weren’t all that different from the Domestic Arts students.

Some of them had come on their own, while others had brought maids with them. If the maids are in here, does that mean they’re Seraphs like me, planning to stay the night with their mistresses? It looked like there was some truth to what Himeko had said earlier about how just being with your mistress was one of the key parts of being a Seraph.

All that aside, I was a teenage girl with a sweet tooth, just like them. Donuts were my particular predilection. Fortunately, there was a store here selling handmade donuts, so I begged Himeko to go there.

“That’s exactly where I planned to take you,” she said with a smile before leading me over to the store’s display counter.

There I saw something slightly odd.

The donuts themselves, arranged in rows of all different varieties, looked so delicious that I almost started to drool. I was pretty sure that the donuts Himeko had given me the first time I went to the Sky Salon had come from here.

Donuts of that caliber had to come with a hefty price tag, I was sure—so why were the prices in the region of 10 to 30 points?

That seems insanely cheap. These flavors would normally cost around 100 yen for one donut, so if one point equals one yen, I’d expect them to be 100 points at the very least. No matter how much they’ve scrambled to bring the prices down, there’s no way they can turn a profit like this. It’s impossible!

“Uh, Himeko?”

Too unnerved by this to avoid asking about it, I tried talking to Himeko. When I looked up, however, she was now surrounded by a number of other students and was engrossed in a friendly chat with them. As I watched, the lineup kept changing, as every girl nearby who noticed Himeko came over and took their turn to say hello.

Himeko greeted them all with a smile. It looked like it might take a while.

Left to my own devices, I picked up a number of the boxes nearby and checked the price tags on them. All of these ones cost either 10 points or 20 points.

I didn’t know much about the prices of luxury underwear and tea sets, but even a commoner like me knew how much snacks were supposed to cost.

I gulped hard. It seemed I’d been laboring under a false assumption.

One point equals one yen? There’s no way. It would make all of these snacks far too cheap.

The truth slowly dawned on me. I looked down at the shopping bag.

If a donut that should cost 100 yen is 10 points, maybe one point is actually 10 yen. A bra and a pair of panties came to 2,000 points, right? I see now. That would be 20,000 yen.

Which meant the three sets Himeko had bought me came to 60,000 yen.

I let out a faint shriek. The hand I was gripping the bag with began to tremble. This was too expensive a gift. Each set was more than ten times the price of the underwear I normally wore, and she’d bought me three sets! It was enough money to pay for a month’s groceries!

“Himeko! Himeko!”

So dizzy that I was on the verge of fainting, I latched onto her arm. It was rude of me to interrupt her chat with the other ladies, but I couldn’t even think about that. Tears welled in my eyes.

“Misaki? What’s wrong?” Her eyes widened in surprise at my sudden state of panic. “Is there a problem with the donuts?”

Obviously, she had no way of knowing that I was reacting to the price of the underwear, but all I could do was repeatedly open and close my mouth in vain.

She stroked my head and said, “Give me one moment.” Then she turned to the girls she’d been conversing with and bowed her head. “I’m sorry, everyone, but I’ve just remembered an important errand I need to attend to. I hope you don’t mind me taking care of that first.”

“My apologies for distracting you,” said one of the other girls.

Another said, “It was just such a rare pleasure seeing you here, Lady Himeko, that I forgot you must be busy.”

“No need to feel guilty. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your shopping trip!”

Himeko’s graceful way of taking her leave calmed me down a little bit.

“Now, over here,” she said, taking me to a far corner away from prying eyes.

I pushed the bag of underwear toward her. “These are really, really expensive.”

A question mark appeared above her head. “Hmm? What are you talking about?”

“The underwear you bought me earlier. I thought it was cheap, but it’s actually insanely pricey, isn’t it? I can’t accept it!”

“What are you talking about? It’s not expensive enough to start freaking out about.”

“Yes, it is! Those three sets came to sixty thousand yen!”

Himeko’s just so used to seeing the prices in points that she doesn’t even realize how the conversion works anymore. She thinks everything’s way cheaper than it is. That has to be it!

Or not.

“That sounds about right to me. Today we had to buy things off the shelf because that’s all we had time for, but if you order them made to measure, the quality’s much better. That can end up costing two or three times as much, so actually, I think I got off easy.”

“How can you possibly think that?!” The more I experienced of Himeko’s world, the further removed it felt from my own. 60,000 yen? Cheap?!

“Let me tell you, I’m not going to take these back. They were a present for you, so if you don’t accept them, it’s my name you’ll be dragging through the mud. There’ll be vicious rumors about me. ‘Himeko Amanotsuka is such a pathetic excuse for a mistress that her Seraph doesn’t even like her presents!’ That’s what they’ll say.”

“But—”

A devilish grin appeared on her face. She was enjoying my reaction. “Honestly, what’s the big deal? I didn’t pay cash for it anyway. If I don’t use up the points, they’ll just keep rolling over, unspent. Consider it a perk of the job—a little reward for working as my Seraph. Just take it.”

I felt myself being dragged deeper and deeper into the quagmire. I was only meant to be a stand-in Seraph. Why was she treating me so much like a real one?

Racking up a debt I could never repay went against my principles, but now my back was against the wall.

“If you’re going to start sobbing over the price of underwear of all things, it’ll start reflecting on me, making it look like I’m a cheapskate. You can’t do this every time I buy you something nice. People will think I have no class.”

“I can see what you mean, I guess.”

“Look at it this way. Right now, you’re the equivalent of a lady’s maid, and the duties of a lady’s maid include managing her mistress’ jewelry, accompanying her mistress to social events, and going shopping with her mistress, just like this. I’m sure there are a lot of ways in which your values are different from mine, but you have to keep a straight face and avoid going crazy every single time it comes up.”

“Fair enough,” I said. My voice wavered, but in the end, it sounded like this was a situation I couldn’t avoid if I was going to live life at this school as Himeko’s Seraph.

“In that case, let’s carry on shopping. When we get back to my room, we can have a little postmortem session to reflect on all this. It seems like you still need to get to know me better.”

“All right.”

“See? I knew having you stay over would be worthwhile!”

Himeko smiled in a way that suggested she was incredibly happy for some reason.

✤

Recalling those events, I sighed and said, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that she bought me new underwear, but she can be surprisingly pushy. I still don’t think I’m used to how different our views on money are.”

“What?!” Kirara’s eyes widened and she began to grind her teeth. “For her to take you shopping and buy you things like that means that she really, really trusts you! It’s only been two weeks and she’s already letting you into her world!”

“I don’t know if I’d say she’s letting me in.” For example, she still hasn’t told me why she never wanted to have a Seraph before.

“Huh? What do you mean? Whichever way you slice it, you and Lady Himeko have an amazing master-servant relationship, at least from where I’m standing.”

“I guess.”

“I mean it! Your mistress letting you stay and serve her overnight isn’t something to take for granted. Even for a Seraph, it takes time to win that level of trust. It means she’s comfortable showing you her private life. No wonder you were so proud of yourself.”

“Proud of myself? I don’t remember, like, boasting or anything.”

“Listen, I remember what you said. If that wasn’t boasting, I don’t know what is.”

“All I did was explain what we did together.” I tried to think back. What had happened when I returned to Himeko’s room after our shopping trip? “We went back to Himeko’s room and drank some tea, then had a bath together. After that, we tried on all the underwear we’d bought. Speaking of which, the really fancy ones didn’t suit me at all, just as I expected. Himeko had a bit of a forced smile when she saw me in them. They were so comfortable though! The way they felt on my skin was totally different from the ones I normally wear. You get what you pay for, I suppose. Hey!”

I was brought back to my senses by a sharp gaze jabbing into me. Kirara was bathed in an aura that suggested she might attack me at any moment.

“There you go again, running your mouth about it.”

I giggled awkwardly. “I suppose that did sound a little like boasting.”

“A little?!”

“All right, fine. After much deliberation, I agree that it’s definitely boasting.” Agreeing with her felt like the safest option.

“Ugh, I’m so jealous. So jealous! What else has happened since you became Lady Himeko’s Seraph?”

“What else? Hmm.”

I’d already told her about staying in the Societal Arts dorm, visiting their exclusive stores, and spending time at the Sky Salon. What else was there?

“Well, she’s helped out with my studies, she’s let me have some clothes she didn’t need anymore... Oh, that’s right! Did you know there’s a French restaurant in the big forest behind the Societal Arts dorm? Himeko seems to be quite a fan of it. She sometimes takes me there for dinner.”

That was a place where a Domestic Arts student would only be able to eat if they were a Seraph accompanying their mistress.

“I think that’s everything. It has only been two weeks, you know. She did say that when I’m a bit more familiar with the academy and how it all works, she’ll take me to visit another salon. Apparently there’s someone she wants to introduce me to?”

Kirara exploded. “I can’t stand it! It’s so unfair that you’re living such a charmed life! Now that you’ve reaped all these benefits, do you at least understand how much it means to be a Seraph? Before you came here, you didn’t even know what a Seraph was, but then you became one before anyone else and now you’re living it up with your mistress.”

“That was pure coincidence. Fate, even. You know I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“But a Seraph’s supposed to be about more than that! It shouldn’t just happen by a twist of fate! It’s an honor given only to the very best maids in recognition of their first-rate skills! The most distinguished lady at the academy shouldn’t be picking someone like you, who knows nothing about being a good maid and barely even knows what a Seraph is. There has to be some kind of mistake.”

“You’ll have to tell Lady Himeko that, I’m afraid.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! I can’t take it anymore! After all the hard work I’ve put into becoming a maid, all the time I’ve spent honing my techniques, why can’t I be a Seraph too?!”

“Like I said, it’s only been two weeks. I’m sure if you have a little patience you’ll meet a lady who’s a good fit for you. It won’t be long now until the room-cleaning rotation starts, right? You’ll get a chance to serve lots of different Societal Arts students.”

“I can’t wait that long. I’m going to carve out a path for myself! Hear this, Misaki Hotaru—I will not lose to you!”

Fire blazed in her eyes. Clearly, no matter what I said, it would fall on deaf ears.

I guess all I can do now is watch and see what happens, just like she said.