"Could you... let him spend another day with me?"
"...."
Kaede struggled for words as she looked at the money being offered by the blushing Karen... It seems she really enjoyed it, huh? Although outwardly unfazed, Kaede felt a surge of internal satisfaction seeing Karen's conflicted expression.
"Do you really think he's doing compensated dating?"
"No!! No!!!" Karen hastily denied it, her lips opening and closing as she struggled to explain. "It's just... just..."
"Last time, I made an excuse to let him go with you. I'm his girlfriend, you know. Are you suggesting I should tell him that I want him to go spend time with another girl?" Seeing Karen completely hooked, Kaede's mouth curled into a subtle, pleased smile. "If you want him to accompany you, you should tell him yourself. Tell him you're a girl who likes to be spanked until you climax, then bow in submission (dogeza), hand him the money, and say you want him to spank your butt."
"You... what are you talking about! I'm the Oonji family's young lady; how could I say those things to him!"
"Heh heh... The young lady who climaxes from a spanking?" Kaede teased Karen. "I, as his girlfriend, am being so generous, yet you don't dare to tell him? If you don't dare, just lock yourself in your room and masturbate while thinking about him."
"Ugh...." A cry of distress escaped Karen after hearing Kaede's words, but she couldn't refute it.
"Even... even if you are his girlfriend, you could still say yes! Didn't you allow Mashiro Shiina and Nanami Aoyama to live with him?! What's the difference!"
"How do you know that?"
"I... I was just scouting the enemy!" Karen nervously avoided eye contact, but her mouth was still stubbornly defiant. "Even if I was spanked, it doesn't mean your charm is greater than mine in his heart!"
"Soft everywhere, but your mouth is the hardest part." Kaede couldn't help herself, seeing Karen's fiercely tsundere demeanor.
"That's right, Miss Karen is soft everywhere, but her mouth is the hardest." Shion chimed in with a wicked smile. "On Friday night, Miss Karen was like a primary school student before a field trip; she couldn't sleep all night."
"Pffft... So that's what happened."
"Shion!! Stop it!!!" Karen was so embarrassed her toes were practically digging an apartment complex into the floor, but Shion didn't stop. She continued to reveal Karen's "dark secrets," the smile on her face growing increasingly amused.
"Miss Karen is merely a tsundere sow. She wants to be friends with Miss Hoshizuki and the others, but she's too embarrassed to say it directly, so she always resorts to tsundere bickering whenever they meet."
"Furthermore, when my sow of a Master learned about Miss Hoshizuki's situation, she wanted to help you, but her tsundere nature prevented her from saying so. She could only secretly instruct your boss to take better care of you."
Kaede was stunned after hearing Shion's words.
"....Really?"
"Of course it's true. The Oonji family required my sow of a Master to become the student council president no matter what, but she felt guilty toward Miss Hoshizuki. She was too embarrassed to apologize, so she could only secretly help you."
"Shion!!!" Karen, with tears welling up, tried to cover Shion's mouth, but Karen was no match for Shion, who easily caught her hands.
"My sow of a Master has no friends. She wants to be friends with Miss Hoshizuki and is very envious that Miss Hoshizuki has a loving boyfriend." Seeing the teary-eyed Karen, Shion became even more excited. "When Miss Hoshizuki boasted about dating a boyfriend, my sow of a Master felt her female charm was inferior. She wanted to prove she was stronger than Miss Hoshizuki in terms of female charm, and also wanted to help Miss Hoshizuki more, which is why she used such a convoluted method. But now..."
Holding Karen's wrist with one hand, Shion lifted Karen's chin with the other, raising her crimson-flushed face toward Kaede. "Now my Master has completely turned into a sow."
"Ugh... I-I'm not a sow."
Kaede's smile froze as she looked at the inverted dynamic between the Master and Maid. Shion must have been telling the truth. Karen, after taking the student council president position with her wealth, felt guilty and had secretly helped her a lot. No wonder Suzu and she had such smooth sailing at their part-time jobs. The weird bosses Nanami complained about—she and Suzu never encountered one. Every boss was kind and friendly, sometimes even giving them extra money. The tsundere Karen must have done a lot of things secretly but never admitted it.
"Are you in elementary school?" This actually made Kaede feel a bit awkward. Why couldn't she just ask to be friends? Kaede didn't even care that much about being student council president... Kaede didn't really value the student council president position. Although Rin Ito's manga had sold quite a bit at the time, she and Suzu still frequently worked part-time to help with household expenses. Kaede was only upset that Karen had used her wealth to get the position.
"Friends bought with money... aren't real friends." The teary-eyed Karen sniffled.
"So you turned into a masochist who likes to be spanked and cursed at?" Kaede pouted. Karen might be tsundere, but Kaede was not far behind. "I still won't help you arrange a date with him, but... you're free to ask him out yourself."
"I... I'm the future heir of the Oonji family. How can I actively ask him out?" Karen bit her lower lip. She had been embarrassed enough in front of him last time. Actively asking him out would just make her look desperate for affection.
Suzu glanced at Karen and Kaede... Two massive tsunderes. One wanted to be cuckolded but was too shy to say it, and the other was a masochist who wanted to be spanked but couldn't admit it. Two stubborn tsunderes—it looks like I'll have to take action!
Suzu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up. "Do you want to move in, like Mashiro and Nanami?"
Karen's eyes lit up, but then dimmed. "Eh? Moving... moving in... is not ideal." Karen's gaze flickered. Living with classmates would certainly be more fun than living alone in a two-hundred-square-meter room, but her parents definitely wouldn't agree. "However..."
"However... if you invite me to spend the weekend at your place... it wouldn't be impossible. Even though I am the Oonji family's young lady, I must understand how common people live."
Seeing Karen's tsundere expression, Kaede was about to agree, considering all the silent help Karen had given her, but Suzu interrupted her before she could speak. Suzu ignored Kaede and directed her slightly cold gaze at Karen.
"It's fine if you want to stay for the weekend, but..." Just as Karen's eyes brightened again, Suzu changed her tone. "Nanami and Mashiro are living at his place. There are no more spots for humans in his house now."
Suzu emphasized the word "humans." Shion raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding Suzu's implication.
"Miss Karen, Miss Suzu means that... there are no more spots for humans, but there is still a spot for a pet."