Household Maids

As I headed home, I immediately went up to my room and laid down. "What to do..." I stared at my computer screen.

I could play Visual novels... but for some reason, there's this weird feeling of dissatisfaction...

I sat up and walked out of the room. There, I noticed some maids I wasn't familiar with cleaning the floor with brooms and mops, while others were wiping the windows.

Then I spotted Lidiya with a laundry basket in her hand.

As we locked eyes, she walked closer to me. "What's wrong, Ryo-sama? Need something?"

I shook my head. "Whose laundry is that?"

She glanced at the basket and then back at me with a shocked expression. "R-Ryo-sama! Indecent acts are a no-no!"

"Can you please stop labeling me as a pervert every time I ask a question!?"

"Fufu~ I'm just kidding~" She said with a wink and stuck out her tongue playfully.

Don't look at me like that, it's irritating.

"Anyway, this is all the maids' laundry~"

"Ahhh... I see. What about mine?"

"Oh? Yours...?" She slowly looked away.

"Hey, why are you looking away? I'm asking you a question."

"Hehehe~ It's in the laundry!"

"...Really?" I stared at her intently.

"Really, really!"

"You're not lying, right?"

"Uwah, it hurts when you doubt us... I'm deeply hurt." She pretended to be hurt, looking down.

"Don't give me that act, just tell me the truth."

"It's probably dry by now, really!"

I looked into her eyes for a moment and nodded. "Thank you."

"Hehehe~ No problem."

I turned around and walked away. "I'll be seeing you later then."

"Alright, Ryo-sama!" she called after me with a cheerful tone.

I went to the kitchen, and there I spotted Kasumi and Yukiko talking to each other. I slowly walked toward them.

"Yo, what are you two up to?"

They looked at me with a hint of mischief in their eyes.

"Ryo-sama, do you need something?" Kasumi asked.

I shook my head. "No, not really. I was just curious about what you two are discussing."

They exchanged glances and grinned.

"Right now, we're talking about Yukiko's killing methods!"

"Yeah, yeah~ We're discussing which is more effective for taking out targets - Strings or Poison," Yukiko chimed in.

My face went slightly pale, and I closed my eyes, nodding. "I see, I see..."

Damn, I came at the wrong time... I really don't want to discuss assassination techniques.

"Anyway... Have you seen Nana?"

I tried to change the topic.

"Nana is currently on a mission," Yukiko answered. "Do you need to deliver a message to her? I can do it for you."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine..."

Wait, now that I think about it... I haven't added them to my contacts...

But as I reached for my phone, something was stopping me from taking it out.

Huh? What's this? Why can't I take out my phone? Or should I say... How do you ask for a girl's contact info!? Am I being weird about this?!

"What's wrong, Ryo-sama?" Kasumi asked with a concerned expression.

"N-Nothing!" I sighed.

"Are you planning on asking us for our contact info?" Yukiko teased, flashing a mischievous grin. "I see~ So Ryo-sama wants to add us to his contacts~"

"S-S-Shut up!"

"Fufu~ The look on your face is cute~"

"Whatever!" I turned around and started to walk away, but then Kasumi called out to me.

"Ryo-sama, you don't need to worry about it. After all, I already manipulated your phone and added our contacts for you! You should check it out."

Huh? Seriously?

I took out my phone and checked the contacts.

To my surprise, everyone's names and numbers were already there.

I smiled slightly and looked back at Kasumi, giving her a thumbs up.

She returned the gesture with a playful grin.

Feeling relieved, I continued to the kitchen and then headed outside.

But as I head out, Momo walked past me. I immediately turned around and grabbed her shoulder. "Wait a minute."

"Hm?" Momo turned to me with confusion. "What's wrong, Ryo-sama?"

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'... You're covered in blood! You're making the maids work even more to clean up after you. Can't you use the backdoor or something?"

"Hm? Why?"

"I mean, think about it. If you walk in like that, the maids will have to clean up the hallway and the floors, and they're already busy enough as it is. It's not fair to them."

Momo looked down at herself and then back at me with a hint of realization. "Oh... I didn't really think about that. I was just in a rush to get back."

I sighed, "Next time, try to use the backdoor when you come back from a mission, and make sure to clean yourself up before entering the house."

You're right, Ryo-sama. I'll be more careful and mindful next time."

"Good. Now go clean up."

"Hehe, Got it!" But then, before she walked away, she turned to me with a mischievous grin. "Wanna go take a bath with me?"

My heart skipped a beat for a moment, but I quickly regained my composure.

"No, Now get going."

She walked to the side of the house with a mischievous grin, heading for the backdoor.

Haahh... That's bad for my heart.

I turned back inside and headed back to my room. Everything seemed normal – the maids were working diligently, though I sometimes caught whiffs of dried blood in the house.

But I trusted the maids to take care of it.

I booted up my computer and sat down, ready to relax with some visual novels. However, just as I settled in, the door to my room opened. It was Suzume.

"Ryo-sama."

"Urgk... What do you want?"

"...I see you're still using your foul mouth."

"Just... tell me what you want."

She cleared her throat. "I will be away for 2 days. As always, Lidiya and Kasumi will be handling the training."

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

She shook her head. "Ryo-sama, please be aware of your surroundings. Apparently, there's information about you being targeted by an unknown organization. It's possible they have a grudge against Kiro-sama."

Kiro is my father's first name.

An unknown organization targeting me? Why?

"Why is the organization unknown?"

"Ryo-sama, there are many people who hate Kiro-sama."

I stayed silent and nodded. 'I'll be careful."

She nodded back. "Thank you." Then she turned around. "Oh... by the way, your father wants to tell you something."

Huh? My father?

"If you fail the first-semester exam... You will be grounded, and your training will be even harsher."

What the fuck!? That old man...!

I gritted my teeth but sighed, trying to regain my composure. "Right... I need to focus on my studies if I want a normal life."

I turned off my computer and stood up, heading to where I placed my bag. I opened it and grabbed my textbooks.

"Nice... Today I will study hard!"

And so, I start reviewing every subject. It was now or never – if I wanted a normal life, I would make sure to pass and not fail.