Chapter 23

The last thing I remember was throwing up repeatedly in the toilet, and then everything went black. When I finally opened my eyes, I was lying in my bed back at our house in Oxford.

Clack!

"Oh, you're awake, Masamune."

I tilted my head up.

"Charles?"

What is this guy doing here? With a glass of water in his hand. He entered my room, leaving the door open.

"Uncle Hachiro called me here and asked if I could take care of you. Just half an hour ago, he went back to Brackley as soon as I arrived. Here, have some water."

Accepting the water, I hummed, "Um... thanks." So, Grandpa has Charles' number and decided to call him. I mean, it makes sense for him to ask Charles since he's reliable, and he's a guy. Gramps wouldn't call the girls when he's not around—a responsible adult would do.

Now this is awkward. We haven't seen each other much since he visited me in the hospital. I've also been skipping school and using that as an excuse to work my ass off. I mean, my life is at stake. If the team didn't win our first race... I'd become a slave to Hana.

"Masamune, this might be late, but I want to apologize," Charles said as he sat beside my bed.

"What? What do you mean?"

"You see, I already knew that Rita wasn't interested in me and the fact that, I knew she already liked you. Furthermore, I ran away from my responsibility of being engaged to Teresa. As her fiancee, I should have been the one to protect her and serve as her shield, not you. That's why I'm sorry..."

Hearing this, I sighed. It seemed I was worried for nothing.

"Nah, what's done is done. Besides, I didn't think about it too much, so just let it go."

"I see. That means we're good, right?"

"Uh-huh, we're good."

I'm not a petty adult who gets angry over what a kid does.

Besides, this is such an old-fashioned situation, where Charles and Teresa have been engaged since childhood. What I mean, kids should act like kids.

"So, you're not mad at me?" I asked with a chuckle.

Charles laughed a little. "If I were mad, it would mean I was a loser who couldn't face reality. I mean, when I heard from Uncle Hachiro that you forced yourself to work under those conditions, it was enough for me to understand why she wasn't interested in me."

"All right, stop talking about me."

"Haha. Well, I'm not going to lose either. I'll beat you someday, Masamune."

What is this sudden rivalry?

"By the way, should I call them?"

"I want to sleep peacefully, so please don't."

After that, I fell asleep after taking my medicine.

---

"Shit! What time is it?! I've got to finish my job!"

Seeing the sunlight coming through the window, I freaked out. This feeling is what I always get when I have something important to do for work, because even in my sleep, I'm always conscious of it.

"Good morning. It's 8 a.m., October 3rd, 2008. Here's your water."

Hearing that, I smiled. "Oh, thank you." Moving my legs to the side of the bed, I suddenly felt pain all over my body. That's right, I forgot that I'm still a kid. Still, I'm also a busy kid, but yesterday, I had pretty much finished my job.

I gulped down the water. Hold up.

Looking at the red-haired girl in a maid uniform, "What are you doing here? Where's Charles?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Charles is downstairs and preparing breakfast. I'm here to protect you from Shiina. By the way, would you like some help getting to the bathroom?" she asked with a smile. Her face and posture remained professional.

"No! I can walk to the bathroom."

Alexandra had a scarily composed face while saying that to me. So, they're here anyway, huh? With my head still dizzy from oversleeping, I walked out of my room. As I walked down the second-floor hallway and reached the stairs, I heard voices.

"We'll cook ramen to warm his body."

"Isn't that too heavy for breakfast? Besides, ramen needs three days of preparation, Teresa. We'll cook something like fish and chips."

"Baumkuchen. I'll feed him Baumkuchen."

Peeking at the three of them, I realized that at this rate, they wouldn't be able to cook anything. Meanwhile, Charles was already cooking something in the background.

"Alexandra, why are they dressed like maids?"

"Actually, I have a similar question too."

What a peaceful morning I had.