Chapter 12

Time passed until lunch break.

"Masamune! Let's have lunch together!" Teresa appeared, carrying a lunchbox.

"Sure."

She set her lunch on my desk, dragging a chair beside me. Moments later...

"Mind if I join?" she asked sweetly, though her mood.

"Of course!" Teresa, clueless about it and still welcomed her.

"Oh dear~ thank you," She then setting her own lunch down with a sharp smile.

"What a day, there's still an empty place here." Said Charles.

So there I was: Teresa on my right, Rita in front of me, and soon, Charles sat on my left.

"Erm… is it just me, or does Rita and Masamune have the exact same lunch?" Teresa asked innocently.

"Hm... that's right," Charles added, looking at me expectantly.

Crap. How could I forget that Charles liked Rita? He'd already asked me for advice, and now, my lunch was an exact copy of Rita's.

"Oooh~ Actually, Masamune cooked it for me," Rita said, stabbing at the grilled salmon, mercilessly, "It's obviously his cooking. Just look at the burnt side."

Ungrateful brat.

"It's grilled salmon for a reason."

"It's not even overcooked. Sigh… poor salmon," she teased with a smile.

Teresa, trying to keep things calm, asked, "A-a-a, Um… you two aren't… d-d-dating, are you?"

Hearing Teresa. Rita, Charles, and I froze for a second.

"Pfft! Puahahaha! Me?! Me with him?" Rita laughed. "There's no way. He made my lunch because he's working at my house."

"Working?" Charles asked, his attention now fully on me.

I sighed. "I'm helping her family."

"Be more specific, Masamune. It's an order," Rita added, her teasing tone in full effect.

"I'm working part-time as a butler for the Ainsworth family."

Both Teresa and Charles looked impressed.

"Masamune in a butler suit? Can I see it?!" Teresa's eyes sparkled. "Or do you wear a hakama and carry a katana around the house?"

"No, no. Just a suit." This weeb needs to stop pushing her fantasies on me.

"Hm… interesting. Want to work at my house too?" Charles asked.

"No! Masamune will stay at my house!" Teresa quickly interjected. "There's even a tatami room for you!"

And just like that, my lunch turned into a part-time job war offer between my rich friends. Do I look that poor? I'm pretty sure I earn more than these brats combine.

"Ack!"

"Hm?" Charles and Teresa looked at me.

You little! Under the table, Rita had stomped on my foot. She dare to put on a sweet smile after that.

"My apologies, but Masamune is bound by contract, so he can't work for anyone else at the moment, isn't that... right?" She pressed harder.

"You littl—Of course, my Lady."

This girl… I swear.

---

At the end of the school day, the sky was a dull gray, and the gentle drizzle pattered softly on the umbrella I held. Walking beside me, under the same umbrella, was Rita, her steps quiet as we headed to the parking lot where her chauffeur waited.

"Why the long face?" I asked, noticing how she seemed a bit distant, lost in her own thoughts.

"Earlier... I'm sorry for being rude, Masamune," she said softly.

"Just that? You can apologies to Teresa later, " I replied with a grin. "Well, your step was more ticklish than painful, so I'm fine."

"Really?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of concern.

Of course, I lied. She had stepped squarely on my toe, and it hurt like hell. But the physical pain wasn't a big deal. What was more interesting was seeing her admit something like that. It was rare for Rita to let her guard down.

"Keke. What, are you feeling that bad about it? Seeing you like this, maybe I am hurt somewhere," I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Rita shot me a sideways glance, her expression a mix of irritation and embarrassment. "It's your fault too."

"What? How is this my fault?"

Suddenly, she stopped walking, making me halt as well. I couldn't see her face clearly since I was taller, but her head was slightly bowed, and her cheeks were unmistakably flushed.

"Today... you're still my butler," she said, her voice quieter than usual. "So, I just... I just wanted you to pay more attention to me than to anyone else."

I blinked. Was she asking me to act like her butler even at school too? Anyway. Who was this brat? Just now, normally, she would never show this kind of personality.