Chapter 16: Maid Tsuchimikado Maika
I could technically continue ironing the chapters up until chapter 48, as the raws are gated beyond that, and I feel guilty about taking them from the original translator... though I have to admit, I'm starting to feel like this fanfic is becoming a bit boring for me.
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The bicycle weaved through a narrow space, crossing the path between two buildings, and gradually approached the school garden in the Seventh School District.
The five noble girls' schools, including Tokiwadai Middle School and Private Shidarezakura Academy, are located within the school garden. The area is surrounded by fences, and a pass is required to enter.
The campus bus, shared by the five schools, is the only public transportation that can travel between the school garden and the outside world.
As Natsume turned a corner, she pressed the bell to signal the turn.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and her pupils contracted. She slammed on the brakes.
Thanks to the excellent braking performance, she stopped instantly, but her center of gravity became unstable, and she nearly fell off the seat.
"It hurts." She winced as her head hit the handlebars, letting out a small wail.
She rubbed her head and straightened herself up, only to see a young maid standing in front of her. The maid was about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a blue and white outfit with a white hairband, holding a lunchbox and a few eggs.
Although Natsume hadn't actually hit her, the maid seemed startled and sat down on the ground, a red mark on her forehead where the handlebars had made contact.
"Are you okay?" Natsume asked, still startled. She quickly dismounted from the bicycle and went to help the maid up, not paying attention to the red mark on the maid's forehead.
Natsume wasn't traveling very fast, and she had braked in time, even though the maid had been in her blind spot. It was just a small accident before reaching the school garden.
Thinking back to the fighting skills she had bought from a roadside stall the previous night, Natsume's face turned sour. It's true—since my ability improved so quickly and I've been promoted to level 4, has my luck taken a downturn?
She quickly dismissed the thought. After all, she had been quite pleased with the new model of the electric robot doll she had won at the arcade yesterday, right?
Natsume, now somewhat conflicted, fell into her usual state of divergent thinking. The maid, who had just been helped up by Natsume, looked curiously at her. She stood there with a puzzled expression as Natsume appeared lost in thought.
This classmate was wearing a Tokiwadai school uniform, so she must be a Tokiwadai student. It's just rare to see a Tokiwadai student riding a bicycle. Aren't young ladies supposed to take the campus bus or a private car?
Feeling the weight on her arm, Natsume quickly snapped out of her thoughts and helped the other person up.
The other person seemed uninjured, which relieved Natsume Enako, but the lunchbox and eggs in her hands had fallen to the ground.
When Natsume Enako picked up the lunchbox and eggs, she saw that the egg was cracked in half, and the lunch inside the box appeared to be scattered. Upon opening the box, she could faintly see that it was a well-made, time-consuming love lunch.
"I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble," Natsume said, looking at the ruined food in her hands. An apologetic expression crossed her face as she put her hands together in an apology.
"It's okay. In fact, it's my own fault. I got a little distracted. Nice to meet you, I'm Tsuchimikado Maika." The girl, named Maika, lifted her maid skirt with both hands and curtsied slightly, performing a standard maid's etiquette.
"Ah, nice to meet you. I'm Natsume Enako." Natsume adjusted her slightly raised pleated skirt and then bowed slightly, nodding.
"I'm a maid trainee at the Ryoran Household Management Girls' School, and I'm currently doing fieldwork at Tokiwadai Middle School. Nice to meet you, Natsume-san." Maika smiled warmly, putting her hands behind her back. Her tone was gentle, sounding relaxed but not frivolous.
"Is your forehead okay? It looks painful," Maika asked with concern, noticing the red mark on Natsume's forehead.
"It's nothing serious, I'll just apply a cold compress," Natsume replied, rubbing her forehead.
"Cold compress? Did Natsume-san bring an ice pack?" Maika asked curiously, looking at Natsume Enako. Aside from the black handbag she always carries, there didn't seem to be anything else with her.
"No, it's something else." The red mark on Natsume's forehead seemed to lighten a little. Maika, curious, reached out her hand to touch Natsume Enako's forehead but suddenly remembered something and quickly withdrew her hand.
"Excuse me," Maika said, her expression nervous. As a maid, it was very rude to touch others casually, especially considering the other party was a student of Tokiwadai.
However, Maika's hands still felt cool, and Natsume's forehead seemed to have the same chill as an ice pack.
"Don't worry about my little injury. But your lunchbox is scattered... it's really okay," Natsume said nervously. The lunchbox seemed like a carefully prepared love lunch. The ingredients inside had been meticulously arranged.
"It's okay, this was prepared for my brother. He'll eat any kind of lunch happily," Maika said, waving her hand to show that there was no need to worry. When talking about her brother, Maika's typically leisurely tone became unexpectedly proud.
Awesome, her brother can eat anything. Seeing Maika showing off, Natsume nodded in agreement. People who aren't picky or wasteful are usually healthy.
Natsume herself wasn't picky or wasteful either. Besides staple foods, she liked snacks and sweets, so she appeared quite healthy. However, her physical strength wasn't particularly great.
"Tsuchimikado-san, are you going to deliver food to your brother now?" Natsume asked after handing the lunchbox to Maika.
"Yes, not only delivering food but also helping him clean his dormitory. His room is always a mess, and his friends are just as messy, so I always end up helping him clean up," Maika said leisurely. When talking about the mess, she purposely drew out her words.
"Your brother is so lucky. I always have a headache when cleaning my room. It must be great to have a maid sister," Natsume said. She often struggled with cleaning because there were too many things, and she always felt like there wasn't enough space. However, she was reluctant to throw anything away, so she just bought more boxes and stuffed them under her bed.
"If that's the case, I can help you when I'm free," Maika said with a faint smile. She always felt happy when she helped others.
She wanted to share her things with others and achieve her goals through hard work, which was one reason she chose to become a maid.
"Oh, no, it's too much trouble for you," Natsume replied, feeling a little embarrassed and quickly refusing.
"No, in exchange, Natsume-san will learn how to clean a room properly. Besides, the student dormitory at Tokiwadai Middle School is also part of our field study, so feel free to ask me if you have any questions," Maika said with a smile. She raised one hand, her five fingers spread out. Though her tone was leisurely, she was full of energy, and Natsume Enako couldn't help but feel inspired by the maid's spirit emanating from her.
"Excuse me, if you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask," Natsume Enako said solemnly.
After saying goodbye to Maika, Natsume realized they had talked for a long time. Maika was considerate and caring in every way.
Natsume exchanged phone numbers with Maika and felt happy to have met a new friend today.
As for Maika, Natsume , who had only watched a few episodes of A Certain Scientific Railgun, had some impression of her. However, Natsume Enako didn't know anything about her brother.
"Oh no, the tea party is about to start." Natsume hurriedly got on her bicycle and rode towards the school garden, which she had yet to reach after talking for so long.
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The school garden was full of Western-style buildings. There were no large stores like department stores or shopping malls; everything necessary for campus life had its own dedicated shop.
In a room in the dormitory of Tokiwadai Middle School, within the school garden, exquisite ceramic teapots and tea bowls were placed on a round solid wood table. The fragrance of black tea filled the air. Tea bowls were positioned in four spots, indicating that four people would be attending the tea party.
Six stacks of tea snacks were neatly arranged in the middle of the table, including fruits, dried fruits, and some unnamed cakes.
To prepare for the tea party, Kongou had even arranged for two boxes of pastries made by a five-star chef to be airlifted that day.
Kongou sat upright in her seat, folding her fan slightly, her gaze fixed on the door of the dormitory with anticipation. As the agreed time passed and no one knocked or rang the doorbell, her hopeful expression began to fade.
Kongou took out her father's pendant from her wallet and looked at it with frustration.
"No one's here. Am I not good enough? Do I need to be someone like Misaka-san or Shokuhou to attract people?" Senior Kongou wondered aloud, unable to understand why others didn't seem eager to befriend her.
At that moment, a long python, tied with a bow, slithered up Kongou's neck. It seemed to sense her frustration and flicked its tongue, as if offering comfort to its owner.
"Little Catherine, you're still the best." Kongou patted the snake's body, murmuring affectionately.
In short, the arrogant young lady, unaware of the ways of the world, was truly a source of concern.
Meanwhile, outside the dormitory, someone was encountering a bit of trouble.
"Excuse me, could you tell me which dormitory Kongou-senpai lives in?" Natsume Enako stopped a classmate in front of the dormitory and asked.
"Kongou? The young lady of the Kongou Aviation Industry?"
"Yeah."
"I think it's on the third floor. I'm not sure about the specific room, though. I only saw her from a distance once on the third floor."
Natsume Enako felt a little helpless. She had asked three classmates in a row but had only gotten an approximate idea of which floor Kongou's dormitory was on.