Saionji Youko was delighted when Hayashi Maki and the others arrived. Asada Shino was happy too. But when she faced Shiina Mahiru, she still felt a little guilty. After all, she had stolen her best friend's man—and that best friend seemed not to know yet.
So she couldn't help feeling a strange anticipation. When would Maki-kun come clean to Mahiru? Sneaking around was thrilling, but it also made her a little scared.
Looking at the pretty girl clerks in the shop, Saionji Youko touched her cheek and sighed. "Youth really is wonderful."
"I originally wanted to open a restaurant by the sea," she said, "but the more I thought about it, the more troublesome it seemed. In the end I decided to try my hand at a convenience store instead."
As Youko moved up beside him with that sigh, Hayashi Maki took a natural glance at her voluptuous figure and picked up the thread: "A convenience store's great too—looks to me like you've already built something solid here. Besides, you're still young yourself. Standing next to the girls, you look like their sister."
A man needs a soft tongue—sweet words are how you make girls happy. Hayashi Maki had mastered the art and chose only the lines they'd like to hear.
Youko smiled at once. A tempting fragrance drifted over, and something soft pressed against his arm—Youko had hugged it, gazing at him with burning eyes.
"Maki-kun, you really do know how to talk."
"Of course. I'm only telling the truth."
Hayashi Maki cast a quick look at the softness pressing against his arm and felt there was something familiar about the aura on her.
He probed it—why did it feel like the scent of his "magic seed" having blossomed and borne fruit? Thinking of that possibility, his expression turned a bit odd.
The afternoon shift flew by. After a fruitful day, everyone said their goodbyes and headed home.
Hayashi Maki and Mahiru dropped Asada Shino off on the way and then returned together to their rented place.
Both of their rooms were on the second floor, so they took the stairs. Seeing the spotless stairwell and corridor, he wasn't surprised—clearly Gabriel's handiwork.
Gabriel, not yet fallen, was a true angel: a little angel whose aim was to make the world better and people happier, so of course she was diligent and eager to help.
Still, that angelic phase probably wouldn't last long: Hayashi Maki had noticed she'd bought a computer and a phone—she had even exchanged numbers with him today.
Back home, Hayashi Maki collapsed onto the sofa and didn't want to move. The sofa had some mysterious power that sealed away his demonic energy—definitely not because he was lazy.
Apron on, Shiina Mahiru looked at him lounging there and shook her head helplessly. She took a blanket from his closet, gently laid it over his stomach, and started cleaning.
It was his place, yet she busied herself so diligently. She sometimes got tired, but felt content; one glance at the person on the sofa and it was as if she'd found a safe harbor for her heart—energy renewed.
Feeling Mahiru's tenderness warmed Hayashi Maki's heart. The blanket was the angel's way of showing she cared.
Which is why, compared to Mahiru, the Yukinoshita's Second Heiress still had a long way to go. But he could teach her slowly. Life's more interesting when things aren't all the same. He was looking forward to it.
What a wonderful feeling it would be to have Mahiru and the Second Heiress together.
As Mahiru was cleaning, her phone suddenly rang. She had to stop and step outside to answer—not to hide anything, but so as not to disturb Maki-kun's rest.
The call was from Aunt Koyuki, the family maid who had been by Mahiru's side since childhood. A gentle female voice came through when she answered. "Miss, how are you doing now?"
"Of course I'm fine, Aunt Koyuki. People have to grow up, don't they?"
"Sigh…" Aunt Koyuki let out a breath. "Miss, have you decided not to come home anymore?" If so, what meaning did a maid like her still have?
"I'm sorry, Aunt Koyuki. I'm doing very well… I don't want to go back to that house where I was the only one anymore."
There was a long silence on the other end before the main point came. "Miss, something happened at home. Your parents divorced. It's just as well you're not coming back. There's… a new master in the house now."
Mahiru staggered, eyes going wide. Divorced? And they were only telling her now?
"Then… who's my guardian? Who is it?" She took a deep breath, held back tears, and tried to sound calm.
"It's me. Master and Madam gave me a sum of money and asked me to continue looking after you. If you like, you can still come back and live here."
"No need, Aunt Koyuki. You said it yourself—there's already a new master there, right? I won't go back and be an eyesore. And… thank you, Aunt Koyuki."
Mahiru ended the call. Tears started falling despite herself. In that house, she really had been extra.
The family was rich, upper-class even, but at parties her parents never took her along. All she could do was work hard alone and wait for them to come home—one word of praise would have been enough. But it was all in vain.
Mahiru's existence was a stain on the lives of Shiina Asahi and Shiina Sayo. The two married for family interests, and each felt the other had ruined their own love life.
After Mahiru was born, they kept up a façade of marriage while living separate lives behind the scenes. Naturally, both went on to have other little families.
When Mahiru left that house, Shiina Asahi even brought his illegitimate daughter back home.
They didn't even bother to pretend anymore—after all, they were divorced.
And poor Mahiru—she'd done nothing wrong, yet she was the one cast aside. Her guardian turned out to be the maid. How laughable. The Shiina family's "eldest young lady" in name only, was treated worse than the illegitimate child.
Hayashi Maki was woken by Mahiru's sobs. The petite, soft girl suddenly curled up against his chest. He felt a hot dampness there; looking down, he startled. "Mahiru, why are you crying? Who bullied you? Tell me and I'll go teach them a lesson!"
That hot, damp feeling was her tears. "No, no one bullied me. I just felt like crying… Maki-kun, will you hold me?"
Just like the day they first met. She looked like a little animal that had been abandoned—so pitiful it made his heart ache.
He didn't say much, just tightened his arms around her a little, lifted a hand to gently stroke her smooth hair, and soothed her.
~~~
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