"Thank you all for taking care of me these past few days. I'll be going now."
Nanami held a cardboard box in her arms. Inside was a small white kitten named Hikaru, along with a few leftover miscellaneous items from the move.
She was saying her final goodbyes to everyone at Sakurasou.
Everyone's expressions were somewhat complicated, but no one said much.
After all, school started tomorrow, and they'd see each other again then.
This wasn't a real farewell.
Nanami's move meant she could save a lot of time every day, and the life over there was clearly better. It was undoubtedly a good thing for her.
If there was anything slightly delicate about the situation, it was the fact that Nanami was moving in—as a maid—into the home of a single, wealthy man...
However, Nanami herself had no objections.
And after Akira's two visits, where his words and actions clearly conveyed his care and protectiveness toward her, no one could really criticize it either.
So all they could do was wave goodbye and watch Nanami proudly get into a taxi and leave.
Driven by certain reasons, Nanami had finally started spending money more freely.
For instance, after her training today, she planned to continue the move, so she went back to Sakurasou, which delayed her. Now she had to hurry back to prepare dinner.
She opened the door and called out, "I'm home!"
Just like last night, no one responded—only the meowing of cats.
A flicker of loneliness passed across Nanami's face, but she quickly composed herself.
Kuro wagged his bottom as he ambled over, and Shiro came trotting along the corridor.
But when both saw the head of a cat poking out from the box in Nanami's arms, they simultaneously froze in their tracks.
After closing the door, Nanami set the box on the floor and crouched down nervously to watch the cats' first meeting.
The two cats in Akira's house were fully domesticated pets, unlike free-roaming cats that had seen more of the world.
They were more cautious around unfamiliar creatures and had a stronger sense of territory.
So even though they were curious about the newcomer, they didn't look particularly welcoming.
As for Hikaru, who had lived freely and harmoniously with several cats at Sakurasou, she wasn't as wary.
She was more nervous and curious about the new environment than the other cats.
After sniffing the floor and glancing at Nanami's encouraging smile, she tentatively approached Kuro.
Then—
Kuro hissed at her.
The first meeting ended in failure.
Nanami quickly began stroking Kuro's head to calm him down. While she was trying to figure out what to do, she heard voices from outside the door.
"I'm warning you, Miss Kasumigaoka, keep your hands to yourself."
"But just now in the mall, Mr. Ogiwara wasn't saying that. Why such sudden virtue the moment we're home? Don't tell me..."
As they spoke, the door opened—and then six... no, twelve eyes in total if you counted the cats—locked onto one another.
Akira froze briefly, then his gaze shifted to the unfamiliar white kitten. Though the color matched Shiro's, this one was smaller and not as elegant or slender—cuter, perhaps.
Or maybe a bit doofier.
"What's its name?" Akira asked.
Snapping out of it, Nanami replied, "Her name is Hikaru."
Utaha crouched down, smiling as she greeted Hikaru while teasingly commenting, "It's a pretty basic name, but clearly your naming skills already surpass our Mr. Ogiwara."
Akira clicked his tongue softly, changed into his slippers, and when he saw Hikaru walking toward Utaha, he bent down halfway, scooped up the kitten, and carried her into the living room.
Utaha was left crouching at the entrance, wearing a completely dumbfounded expression.
Nanami glanced left and right, then couldn't hold back her laughter.
Utaha shot her a glare and tossed a shopping bag into her arms. "It's yours," she huffed, then stormed off to change her shoes and enter the house.
Curious, Nanami opened the shopping bag and saw a white shoulder bag that matched her tastes perfectly.
Her eyes lit up.
But even though Utaha had said it was a gift, Nanami couldn't bring herself to accept it so casually. She hurried into the house.
When she reached the living room, she saw Akira on the sofa petting the kitten, and Utaha leaning over the sofa back, glaring at him from just thirty centimeters away with a furious death stare.
"Mr. Ogiwara, do you feel even a shred of shame for snatching a kitten that was walking toward a girl?"
"Not at all."
"Have you ever robbed a little girl of her lollipop on the street?"
"Of course not. I'm not that shameless."
"Then can you admit that what you just did was basically the same thing!?"
"Not the same at all. The point of that comparison is that the lollipop belonged to the girl—but the kitten doesn't belong to you."
"But it was walking toward me! In a situation like this, shouldn't we respect the cat's own choice?"
"Sure. Then, who do you think it would choose now?"
Utaha shifted her gaze and saw Hikaru rolling over happily under Akira's hand. She clenched her teeth so hard she nearly cracked a molar.
Nanami stood by with a wry smile. It wasn't that she didn't know what to say—it was more that the atmosphere made it impossible to insert herself.
Realizing this, Nanami once again felt that strange sense of loneliness she had since the previous night.
Mr. Ogiwara and Miss Kasumigaoka… their relationship seems closer now?
There's some truth in those clichés where a third party watches a couple bicker and laughs, "You two must be really close."
Certain kinds of quarrels show that both people have let down their formalities and emotional walls—that they've shortened the distance between them.
As long as it's not a real falling-out, these spats often reflect greater intimacy than a polite conversation with a smile.
From the moment she met them, there had always been a subtle tension between Akira and Utaha—a sense that something separated them.
But today, that barrier seemed to have finally broken, and the two were closer than ever.
More importantly, it was the kind of atmosphere she couldn't fit into.
Even though she stood so near, it felt like she was very far away—so far that until they finished talking, they wouldn't even notice her presence, or hear her voice.
She felt confused and lost at that moment.
Until Akira suddenly called her name.
"What are you zoning out for, little Nanami? You didn't like the gift?"
Akira's expression looked a bit troubled. He even stopped petting Hikaru and rested his hand on her head absentmindedly.
With the voice of someone genuinely tired, he said,
"To get that bag, Miss Kasumigaoka dragged me through the whole mall. If it doesn't match your taste... well, if it really doesn't... we can go out again tomorrow?"
Nanami quickly waved her hands. "No, no! I love it! I just... Mr. Ogiwara already pays me really well—I could've bought it myself..."
Utaha seized the moment to reach out and pet Hikaru, trying to shift the kitten's attention toward her.
At the same time, she dramatically sighed, "Poor Mr. Ogiwara. He can't even give a girl a present."
Akira gently lifted the kitten's head as if offering Hikaru to Utaha, but didn't go any further.
Utaha smoothly changed her tone.
"So Miss Aoyama, why don't you do Mr. Ogiwara a favor and let him fulfill his poor little wish of giving a girl a gift? Just accept it. Otherwise, I'll have to return what I bought this afternoon too."
Nanami blinked. "Eh? Why would Miss Kasumigaoka return hers?"
Utaha poked her own cheek. "Because I accepted mine so happily, but you insisted on buying yours yourself. That would make me look shameless, wouldn't it?"
Out of Nanami's line of sight, Akira gave Utaha a discreet thumbs-up.
She wasn't usually as socially adept as Akira, but if you remove her shyness, Utaha—being good at subtle writing and psychological insight—was actually quite skilled at persuading others in her own way.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to hold her own in arguments with Akira, even making him speechless at times.
Even if she was often the one flustered and upset, just winning once was enough to boast for years.
Nanami was thrown off by this combination attack involving "Akira's pitiful wish" and "Utaha's shamelessness."
She felt like not accepting the gift would make her guilty of some great crime.
But this clashed with her earlier thoughts and common sense, leaving her unsure of what was right.
For confusing situations like this, her maid training had taught her one thing: even if you look a bit slow, it's fine to just stand there and think—just don't show panic.
So she calmly stared at the two of them.
And her calm gaze made Akira and Utaha feel like she'd already seen through all their bluffing and nonsense—that they were just two fools on stage putting on a silly act.
Just as Akira was starting to lose his composure, Nanami suddenly bowed deeply.
"I understand now. Thank you, Mr. Ogiwara. Thank you, Miss Kasumigaoka. What would you like to eat tonight?"
Akira waved his hand casually.
"Go with whatever you planned. Oh right—keep an eye on Hikaru tonight. If she's not used to the place yet, don't bathe her. Wait a few days."
"Yes!"
After a brief response, Nanami turned and walked toward her room, a faint smile on her lips.
I was overthinking it. Mr. Ogiwara would never overlook me...
Feeling reassured, she entered her room to change clothes and get to work.
Once Nanami's door shut, Akira and Utaha slowly exchanged glances—and simultaneously let out a long sigh.
"I remember Miss Aoyama wasn't this scary..." Utaha muttered, recalling her first impression of Nanami and noticing how much she'd changed.
"Is maid training really that terrifying?"
Akira handed Hikaru to Utaha and started counting on his fingers from memory.
"The mentor I hired for her is a real professional maid.
Her training includes etiquette, communication, gardening, cooking, psychology, economics, personnel management, security... um, what else...?"
Utaha hugged Hikaru, visibly shivering as she listened. "There are people who know that much???"
Akira let out a deep sigh. "Yeah. Real maids are monsters..."
As they turned their eyes toward the now-closed bedroom door, both of them looked on with a newfound respect.
Today's winner—Nanami.
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