CH 4

Chapter 04: Conversation in The Car

Translated by Hikaru

Edited by VampireKnight

“Wake me up when we arrive.”

“Understood.”

After being ushered into the black car, the girl fell asleep immediately. The girl went in the backseat first, then me, and finally, the maid, who closed the door as she got in.

I fastened the seatbelt of the girl who had fallen fast asleep, then fastened my own as well. Suddenly I felt a gaze on me and turned around to find the maid looking at me. The maid muttered in a small voice, “I see, that’s why you like him,” and fastened her seatbelt. The car started to drive away.

“Um, that…, where am I being taken?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Right after the maid answered, I hear a small vibration.  The maid took out her smartphone from her pocket and held it to her ear. After a minute of talking, the maid quietly put the phone away in her pocket.

“Your background check has been completed.”

“…eh?”

I roll my eyes at the maid who said it so matter-of-factly.

“Itsuki Nishinari, 16 years old. A male student at Ryugu High School. There are no siblings, and his parents are both still alive… It is commendable that he earned his school expenses on his own out of consideration for his poor family. But three days ago, your parents ran away in the middle of the night and took all the money from the house, so you are now in a critical situation.”

“It’s…, how do you do that?”

“Don’t underestimate the Konohana family’s network. This is a small feat,” said the maid as a matter of fact.

“By the way, you were supposed to start your second year of high school tomorrow, but…you can no longer attend that high school.”

“What…?”

“The school tuition fees have not been paid. Apparently that your parents were planning to run away from home at this time from the beginning. It seems that the tuition fees you earned by working part-time every day have already been taken away.”

“Ah, right…”

“It seems that you’ve fallen far behind on your rent and utility bills, and that house will soon be unable to live in.”

Our house is that bad…

“So, we have a suggestion for you,” the maid told the depressed me.

“Would you like to work for the young lady?”

“….yes?”

The suggestion was so unexpected that I tilted my head.

“Well, I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.”

“Let me explain it to you step by step.”

The maid opened her mouth, pretending to choose her words.

“Does the name Konohana Group sound familiar to you?”

“There’s…”

“That’s right. You have an account at Konohana Bank, so you should know about it.”

That’s what I was thinking. The money from my part-time job is put into an account I created at Konohana Bank. The background check that she had just done was probably based on the registration information for this account.

“The Konohana Group is a well-known conglomerate that includes not only city banks, but also major general trading companies, heavy industries, real estate developers, and non-life insurance companies. Its total assets are about 300 trillion yen. Its influence extends not only domestically but also overseas.” The maid explained without hesitation.

“And the one sleeping next to you is the daughter of the Konohana Group, Hinako Konohana. I’m one of the maids that serve the young lady.”

Apparently, the girl sleeping next to me is an extraordinary young lady. I knew she wasn’t a commoner, but she is probably one of the most respected ladies in the country, if not the most respected. How can I be riding in a car with such a person?

“What I’m offering to you is the same kind of work I do.”

“You mean… I’m going to be… the maid?”

“You’re a butler, not a maid.”

Oh, yeah, that’s for sure. I am confused because I am involved in a conversation that is too grand in scale.

“Technically, you are not exactly a butler, but it’s a similar job. I’d like you to take care of the young lady from now on. Will you agree to this?”

“No consent… are you sure it is okay? Because I’m just a student…”

No…, I am not even a student anymore. So now I am just a kid who had nowhere else to go. I am not sure if there’s any point for a famous family that every Japanese person knows to take me in.

“Normally, you would not be able to get this job without the proper training, but since it is… the young lady’s wish, it is a special case. She seems to like you a lot.”

The maid then looks at the girl sleeping next to me. She was drooling with a look of relief.

“Nnn…mm.”

“Oh, come on…, don’t be so clingy.”

The girl turned over and hugged my body. I can smell the strange sweet scent of the girl’s long, soft hair. I felt strangely embarrassed and turned my gaze away from the girl, and the maid glared at me sharply from the corner of her eye.

“By the way, if you ever do anything unscrupulous to the young lady, I’m going to cut you off.”

“…Wh, where?”

“The part you just imagined.”

I would not do it. Becoming an eunuch.

“I’ll have you discuss the detailed terms with my employer.”

The maid said while looking at the scenery outside. After a break in the conversation, the car came to a stop.

“Young lady, we have arrived.”

“……Hmm.”

The girl who was clinging to the right side of my body wakes up languidly. The car door opened automatically and we got out. In front of us stands a huge mansion, the biggest I have ever seen.

“Here is…”

“This is the villa of the Konohana family. You will now meet with the young lady’s father.”

More than meeting the young lady’s father, I am astonished to see that the mansion in front of me was a villa.

If this is a villa… Is my house a dog house or a toilet?