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It wasn't about trying to seduce the man in front of her. The combination of dim lighting and her awkward angle made it genuinely difficult for Hayasaka to see the problem with her foot.
"Let me take a look," Amamiya offered without hesitation. "Stretch your foot out."
"Sorry to trouble you, Amamiya-kun."
Hayasaka adjusted her skirt, lifting her right foot with a light blush blooming on her face. She turned her head away nervously as she placed her foot into Amamiya's hand.
Her foot, pale and delicate in the cool night air, had toes that curled slightly. They were as lovely as freshly peeled lotus seeds, soft and dainty.
'So shy...'
But that was a lie.
Hayasaka wasn't the least bit shy.
As a spy, if a little physical contact was enough to fluster her, she would be a failure.
Yet… Hayasaka pressed her hand to her chest. Her heartbeat seemed to quicken, just a little.
"Found it."
Amamiya held her ankle gently, lifting her leg under the streetlight. He quickly spotted the problem. "It's a small wooden splinter. Don't move, I'll take care of it."
"Thank you, Amamiya-kun," Hayasaka said, her pink lips pressed together as she slightly curled her toes. "But we don't have any tools—how are you going to remove it?"
"I can't pull it out with my fingers."
"Couldn't it just be squeezed out?"
"It's not a pimple, squeezing it won't work."
"Then what should we do?"
"Obviously, I'll suck it out."
"Eh?! What?!"
Hayasaka jerked back in surprise, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Even a professionally trained maid couldn't keep calm at this moment.
Did he really just say he would 'suck it out'?
It's a splinter, not a venomous snakebite! That's not how you remove it!
And it's on the sole of her foot, not her ankle or leg! How unsanitary would that be?!
"How about we try something else?" Hayasaka tried to pull her foot back. "Maybe we could buy nail clippers from a convenience store?"
It was confirmed.
This man definitely had a foot fetish!
What kind of normal person's first thought was to suck out a splinter?
"Relax." Amamiya reassured her. "It's a strong suction—I've tested it before."
Tested it?
On whom?!
Hayasaka considered herself someone with a 'heavy' taste—she watched hydraulic press videos for stress relief and enjoyed horror films. But compared to Amamiya, she realized her own tastes were tame.
No!
She had to stop her young lady from getting close to him—who knows what habits she might pick up!
"It'll finally come in handy," Amamiya muttered.
Suddenly, a translucent object resembling a pen appeared in his hand.
"What is that?" Hayasaka blinked in confusion.
"A blackhead remover, another random item I got from a blind box. I thought it was useless, just an 'IQ tax' item…" Amamiya paused and turned to her with a flat expression. "Wait a minute— did you think I was going to suck it out with my mouth?"
A wave of embarrassment washed over Hayasaka, her face turning bright red. "I'm really sorry!"
"When you apologize, try to be more sincere."
"..."
After locating the exact spot of the splinter, Amamiya pressed the blackhead remover against her foot and quickly extracted the tiny wooden thorn.
"That should do it." He lifted her foot slightly and gently rubbed the area where the splinter had been. "Does it still hurt?"
Hayasaka pursed her lips. "It feels much better now, just a little bit sore."
Just as she spoke, Amamiya heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see two women emerge from the shadows, wearing business suits, tight skirts, and black stockings. They were holding beer cans in their hands—clearly office workers just off a long shift.
'There were still people around at this late hour... What on earth were those two lovers doing?!'
A female office worker, shocked, covered her mouth, causing the beer in her hand to spill.
"The boy are actually licking...?"
Huh?! Watch carefully before you say something! I wasn't licking anyone at all!
Everything had been fine when they were alone, but now that they'd been caught, Hayasaka felt an inexplicable sense of guilt, and she instinctively tried to get up.
'Riiip—'
The sound of fabric tearing echoed.
Hearing it, Amamiya turned his head in response.
It was dark.
A glimpse of black fabric came into view.
Black lace, decorative bows... This style was way too bold! Isn't this kind of thing supposed to match someone with a more energetic personality?
Amamiya quickly shrugged off his jacket and handed it to the flustered, red-faced maid.
"Here."
Hayasaka hurriedly grabbed it, tying it around her waist.
He then looked down at the bench, inspecting it, and soon solved the mystery.
"A nail was sticking out of the chair, and it snagged your skirt... You're just unlucky, I suppose."
Another accident, one after the other. What rotten luck!
Hayasaka bit her lower lip, casting a sharp glare at the two office workers who had suddenly appeared.
Awkwardly, they both realized their mistake, smiled sheepishly, and hurriedly made their exit.
"I have two pieces of news," Amamiya said, looking up at the still-blushing girl. "Which do you want to hear first?"
"The bad news."
Hayasaka quickly made her choice.
"Alright, bitter first, sweet later." Amamiya nodded in agreement, lifting the skirt slightly to reveal a long tear at the back. "Your skirt's probably not wearable anymore."
Hayasaka exhaled softly. "And the good news?"
"Your streak of bad luck is nearly over," Amamiya said encouragingly. "Hold on just a bit longer, the dawn is coming."
"…"
For the remainder of their time there, Hayasaka sat stiffly, alert and on edge.
Fortunately, no more accidents occurred, and they made it through the last stretch without incident.
"The negative status icon for 'Bad Luck' has disappeared."
After carefully checking her character panel twice, Hayasaka finally relaxed.
"It's almost ten," Amamiya said, glancing at his phone. The night had slipped away unnoticed while they were busy. "I'll lend you my coat for now. Go home and rest."
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Amamiya-kun," Hayasaka said softly, tightening his coat around her and offering a quiet thank you.
"See you later."
Not far from the park, there was a tram stop. Amamiya waved his hand as he turned and left.
Once his figure disappeared from sight, the spy maid, who had been restraining herself for so long, finally snapped.
'Bang! Bang! Bang!'
She stomped her right foot in frustration, her teeth clenched, causing nearby passersby to step aside to avoid her.
Damn it! This rotten luck is driving me crazy.
The thought of giving up momentarily crossed her mind.
But it was fleeting, quickly dismissed.
No.
She couldn't give up.
For both her young lady's sake and her own, she had to get a skill as soon as possible, even if it meant enduring a run of bad luck.
Still, the trouble it brought to others... while occasionally tolerable, it would definitely make people dislike her if it kept happening.
So, perhaps it was time to change strategies?
First, she could hide things from her young lady, secretly pursuing Amamiya, making him fall for her completely, and then... she could control him. As long as she hid it well, her young lady wouldn't have to know, right?
A cool evening breeze swept past, gently stirring her hair.
Pulling the coat tighter around her waist, Hayasaka exhaled softly and stepped onto the tram.
Miss... I'm sorry.