"Welcome back, Gochujin-sama!"
Sato: "..."
After a moment of silence, Sato took a few steps back and looked up at the nameplate on the wall outside.
Yup, this was definitely his home.
So then…
"Why are you here?!"
Sato sighed as he looked at the dragon maid kneeling on the floor in front of him.
This dragon girl, named Tohru, was indeed the world-eater Chaos Dragon, but after a bizarre turn of events, she had become a maid in the human world. The absurd speed of that transformation had left many utterly dumbfounded…
Now, here she was, wearing a black-and-white maid uniform, kneeling obediently before him, big eyes staring up, her green dragon tail swishing behind her.
"Since Kobayashi-san hasn't returned yet, I have a few things I wanted to ask you!"
Tohru answered without hesitation.
Ask me?
Having swapped into his indoor shoes, Sato looked at her with mild surprise.
Despite her terrifyingly powerful true form, this dragon's thoughts were surprisingly pure. She looked at him with genuine sincerity.
"Come in and spill it... Wait a minute!"
Sato suddenly frowned and narrowed his eyes at her.
"How did you even get in here?!"
Tohru tilted her head, confused.
"I just... came in."
As she spoke, she turned toward the front door and said solemnly, "Arahaho, Open Sesame!"
Sato suddenly felt a strange ripple of magical energy.
A small magic circle appeared near the doorknob. With a quiet "click," the door unlocked and slowly opened.
"…What the heck is that?"
"Dragon Magic!"
Once again, Sato fell silent.
When did dragon magic become so practical?
Shouldn't it be about leveling mountains or splitting the heavens?
"It's impressive, sure, but entering someone's home without permission is against the law. If you don't want to get deported, I'd advise you not to use it so casually."
"Understood!"
Tohru replied seriously.
Bringing her into the living room, Sato poured two glasses of water and handed one to Tohru before sitting down on the sofa.
"So, what do you want from me?"
"Yes!"
Tohru sat beside him, adjusted her posture, and said with a firm, serious expression:
"Sato-sama, please teach me how to be a proper maid!"
"Pfft! Cough... cough—!"
"Sato-sama! Are you alright?!"
Tohru leapt up in panic, flustered by his sudden choking.
Sato, coughing after inhaling some water, pointed weakly at the tissue box.
"Two tissues… please."
"Yes!"
Tohru handed them over quickly. Sato wiped the water from his mouth and the table, then looked at the dragon maid with a complex expression.
She's really handed me a tough one this time...
Tohru's eyes sparkled with hope.
As a proud dragon, she once looked down on humanity, but after meeting Kobayashi-san, everything had changed.
Since she had promised to serve as Kobayashi's maid, she was determined to fulfill that duty. It was the promise of the great dragon Tohru.
The only problem? As a dragon, she knew all about magical bombardment but absolutely nothing about being a maid.
So naturally, she needed to learn.
After thinking it over, she realized that aside from that annoying angel and the bald man who once beat her up, the only human she knew was Sato.
And thus, she came seeking his guidance on how to become an excellent maid.
…But for Sato, this was a complete curveball!
He sighed gloomily.
Why did this end up falling on me?
"Sato-sama? Is something wrong?"
"Hm? No, not really."
After a bit of thought, Sato finally spoke.
In today's information age, everything could be looked up online.
There were probably hundreds of maid training guides out there.
More importantly, Kobayashi's idea of a maid likely wasn't the traditional kind.
Being a hardcore otaku, her image of maids probably came from games and anime.
Which meant… all Tohru really needed was to clean, cook, and maybe… make some cute noises?
Once he made that connection, Sato's mind lit up with a thousand possible training regimens.
"Sato-sama?"
Tohru watched him slip into deep thought, then called out gently.
Whoosh!
Sato suddenly stood up, his eyes shining.
"Alright! First, come with me!"
Tohru: "???"
…
"As a maid, you need to learn a lot of things, like perfect maid etiquette, how to clean a room, how to prepare a meal that pleases your master. The most important part is definitely cooking!"
"Oh! Ohhh!!"
At a supermarket not far from Aoyama Apartments, Sato led Tohru through the vegetable section.
He pushed the shopping cart while Tohru, holding a notebook, diligently took notes.
Seeing the growing list on the page, Tohru nodded in satisfaction.
As expected of Sato-sama, he's truly reliable!
"Oh right. Are you sure people can't see your horns and tail?"
Sato scanned the area warily.
He wasn't sure if it was her maid outfit or the visible dragon parts, but several people were sneaking glances in their direction.
"Of course! I cast a perception-blocking spell, no human can see them!"
Tohru puffed out her chest proudly.
As if these weak little humans could…
She glanced at Sato and swallowed the rest of that thought.
Cough cough… actually, maybe I shouldn't be too confident about that right now.
"What is it?"
Sato looked over curiously.
"Haha, no… nothing at all."
Tohru laughed awkwardly and scratched her head.
Definitely can't let that slip out…
Sato narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously but let it go.
He picked up a tomato nearby and began explaining,
"When buying vegetables, freshness is key. The easiest way is to check the color—"
"Uh-huh!"
The dragon girl nodded, scribbling notes enthusiastically.
Not far away, a slim figure pushed a shopping cart into the vegetable aisle.
The girl's features were delicate and refined, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her icy aura made her seem like a snow lotus blooming on a remote mountaintop.
She looked across the crowd and spotted Sato and Tohru, her eyes flashing with surprise.
"…Is that… a maid?"