Chapter 402 - A Certain Girl's Tiring Time
“Young Mistress?”
It had been less than ten seconds since she heard the noise.
Itsuki, vacuum cleaner still in hand, poked her head into the living room. She could sense a presence, but seeing no one, she tilted her head in confusion.
An intruder? That kind of unnecessary caution didn't even cross her mind.
Suppressing her footsteps, she approached a certain spot… and found a young girl lying on the sofa, breathing softly and happily in her sleep.
“…”
Swallowing the scolding words on the tip of her tongue and hiding her naturally softening expression, Itsuki wondered what to do—
She took her smartphone from the pocket of her maid uniform and shamelessly snapped a picture of the sleeping face.
The device made a soft click, but her cute young mistress didn't stir. She had been talking excitedly about something to do with ‘White’ and a ‘decisive battle’ today, so something significant must have happened, even if Itsuki didn't quite understand. She certainly looked tired.
Despite serving the Yotsuya family, Itsuki had little interest in [Arcadia] and was generally left out of the loop when it came to conversations about the virtual world.
Of course, she wouldn't deny being a ‘fan’ of the ‘adventure stories’ Sora recounted with a radiant face… and with that thought, she took her tenth photo.
If she took too many, organizing the data would become a pain again. Satisfied for now, she put her phone away and gently stroked the girl’s cheek.
“Mmm… hnn…”
Sensitive to touch, she wouldn't wake to the noisy shutter sound, but the warmth of another person would always rouse her. However, whether she would fully awaken was another matter.
When she surfaces from a deep sleep, Sora is always groggy.
Itsuki smiled at the sky-blue eyes that gazed at her drowsily, and the girl, tilting her head, smiled back softly—truly, she was so adorable it was a problem.
“If you’re tired, please rest properly in bed. You’ll hurt your back.”
“…Ngh… I’m sorry, I was getting some tea…”
So that's what happened. She came down to the living room for that purpose and ran out of steam halfway through. The fact that she was sleeping on the sofa, on the opposite side of the kitchen, made Itsuki chuckle as she pieced together the sequence of events.
She propped Sora’s body up with a cushion to keep her from falling asleep again, and on her way, she succumbed to temptation and gave her head a gentle pat. Then she set about preparing the requested tea.
If it’s before bed, herbal tea should be fine. Half a mug, just enough to quench her thirst. A little cooler than drinking temperature, so her sleepy young mistress wouldn’t burn herself.
“Here you are, please—Sora?”
“…, …Yes, thank you.”
Placing the mug on the table, she called out to the girl who had started to nod off again. Her consciousness seemed to be surfacing more than before, but she was still dazed.
It was a good call to use a mug. Serving her with an expensive teacup and saucer would have been risky in this state.
Sora said her thanks, then kneaded her own cheeks as if to wake herself up before reaching for the mug. She took slow, small sips of the tea—
“Th… ank… you…”
She probably meant to say, “Thank you for the drink.” Leaving behind those last, mumbled words, Itsuki’s young mistress collapsed once more, completely out of energy.
“………Hee, hee hee…”
Really, she was so cute it was a problem—it was impossible not to spoil her. The fact that Itsuki had become so strong was entirely her fault.
Because she knows that the one who is both her sister and mother figure is right beside her. The completely relaxed girl wouldn't wake up now, even if touched.
Itsuki effortlessly lifted the slender body, gazing lovingly at her sleeping face.
“When you wake up, you’re getting a lecture, you know.”
She murmured words she didn’t mean, and carried her little ‘master’ back to her room.
Light.