kscans

Chapter 349 - The Director, the Chef, the Maid, the Manager, and the Acrobat

It's a small thing to be proud of, but ever since elementary school, I was often praised for my class notes.

I suppose I was good at processing information—organizing and recording it. When I lent my notes to classmates, they'd call them neat; when I submitted them to teachers, they'd say they were easy to understand. It always made me puff out my chest a bit.

That skill never faded. It only sharpened over the years, and even now as a university student, it's on full display. Just look at this artistically arranged notebook of mine—

"...I have absolutely no idea what any of this says."

"You're the one who wrote it. What are you talking about?"

I scanned the open page from top to bottom, then gracefully admitted defeat and threw in the towel at its sheer incomprehensibility. Toshiki, sitting next to me, just let out a wry laugh, as expected.

As expected of a top-tier university... I never intended to underestimate it, but I've been spectacularly left in the dust.

"Well, it can't be helped, can it? You've got other things on your mind."

From my other side, Shoko, who was sitting between me and my partner, offered some support. What she said was absolutely true, but I didn't want to use the virtual world as an excuse....

After all, I was the one who decided to continue attending university like a normal student.

"Sorry to ask, but if I get to the point where I don't understand a single thing, maybe we could have a study session or something...?"

"Oh, good idea! Let's do it, that sounds fun."

"I don't mind, but do you really have time for that?"

"Ah... not for a while, no."

My daily life was packed to the brim, caught between the real and virtual worlds.

I was somehow getting used to the torrential pace and was starting to regain some mental composure, but still.

Mizuki once said something like—'The responsibilities expected of you are so immense, I can't imagine it's possible to juggle them with your studies.' Well, she was spot on.

Balancing life as 'a regular student in the real world' and 'a ranker in the virtual world' was proving to be quite the mission impossible.

I was so overloaded with fulfilling activities that I could barely see tomorrow.

"—Kaede, sorry to keep you waiting."

After the last class of the day ended, I parted ways with Toshiki and the others and headed straight for our meeting spot. My friend... and manager, who had arrived first, turned around when I called out to her. She smiled her usual gentle smile and gave a little wave, saying, "Good work today."

The young lady of the Shijo family, my public sponsor, seemed to be in high spirits today as well.

"Sorry for taking up your time so suddenly."

"Don't apologize, that just makes it awkward. It's not like you were the one who called me here."

Blending into the crowd near the school gate, we exchanged words with an air of familiarity born from sharing all sorts of secrets.

"Ah... well, thanks, then. I'll be in your care today."

"Of course. I'll be in your care as well."

We bowed to each other with mock formality, a little bit of playful banter to start things off... then, I glanced around—

"Looks like our ride is already here."

Parked nearby was a car I recognized. The license plate was the same as I remembered, so there was no doubt our chef was waiting inside.

"Well then, shall we?"

"You've got a lot of nerve for someone who looks so gentle, Kaede-san."

"Hehe, my heart's actually pounding like crazy, you know."

Kaede started walking without hesitation toward the car I had indicated with my eyes. When I commented on it with admiration, the young lady gave a smile that seemed to be trying to feign courage.

Ah, I see. Her cheeks were indeed twitching just a little.

As we approached while chatting, the car door opened automatically to welcome us. We climbed inside—

"Hello there. Shijo Kaede-san, it's a pleasure to meet you in person for the first time."

"Yes, a pleasure to meet you. I'll be in your care today."

"The pleasure is all mine. I'm Chitose Kazuharu."

I once thought that Kaede was 'a little like Sora,' but compared to my partner, this young lady was... how should I put it, more the part.

Part of it was simply that she was older, but she carried herself with a certain poise, an unflappable air. Even before Chitose-san, who had a considerable aura of his own, she remained perfectly composed.

From the perspective of someone her age, she's genuinely cool—though she's a bit much when she goes into fan mode....

"Let's save the formal greetings for when we've settled in. Are you ready to head out?"

"We are."

Kaede and I nodded in unison. Our eyes met his in the rearview mirror, and he returned the nod before starting the engine.

◇◆◇◆◇

—And so, while the young lady of the Shijo family had put on a magnificent display of composure before Chitose-san, the 'Director's Aide,'...

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Yotsuya Togo."

"Y-Yes, sir...! Um, I-I am Shijo Kaede...!"

As expected... or perhaps, as predicted, her 'armor' proved insufficient against the director of the world-renowned Yotsuya Development.

I completely understood why Kaede was frozen stiff with nervousness before him. The man just had this presence, this aura.

Though on the inside, he's just a doting, pushy father who always gets his way.

We were in the same office I had visited before. This was the first in-person meeting for this group, which, including Kaede and me, totaled five people.

Mr. Togo, Chitose-san, and not my partner, of course, but the mysterious maid I hadn't seen in a while, Natsume-san.

"I trust Kana-san and Yoshiki-kun are doing well?"

"Oh, y-yes! Especially my mother, she's almost too energetic...!"

They started to break the ice with some small talk—a topic I wasn't entirely uninvolved in, but still—the head of the 'Yotsuya' family and the daughter of the 'Shijo' family.

I've heard talk of main families and branch families, a fantastical relationship that most people living in the modern world would never encounter, but—

"Here you go. It's been a while."

"Thank you. It has."

It's the kind of thing I can't really comprehend, and besides, when we first discussed things like employment, sponsors, and managers, I was told 'not to worry about it.'

So... I nonchalantly slipped out of the conversation and savored the coffee that was served, making my way over to the maid who was radiating a 'let's talk' aura.

As always, her brewing skills were superb. My own amateur efforts couldn't hold a candle.

"So, how has my young lady been doing since we last spoke?"

"How has she been?"

"Is she cute?"

"I don't understand the question."

"She's cute, isn't she?"

"You're as unrestrained as ever, Natsume-san."

"Are you saying she's not cute?"

"There's no getting through to this maid...."

I knew she was doing it on purpose, and I had a pretty good idea of her intentions... but Sora probably has to deal with this, too.

An older-sister-like maid who loves to tease, and a pure, innocent younger-sister-like young lady—their character archetypes are a bit too strong.

...Wait a minute. Speaking of which...

"Um... is this okay?"

I glanced over at Kaede, who was still flusteredly dealing with Mr. Togo, and made a silent gesture for 'secret.'

After all, the existence of Sora, the Yotsuya heiress, was supposed to be a top-secret matter, unknown to the general public—

"We're related. The Shijo family knows, of course."

The answer to my question came from the director's aide beside me.

"Ah, I see."

Now that he mentioned it, I suppose it was only natural.

I was momentarily worried, but if that's the case, then it's fine—what's with that look? Being stared at by an older woman is making me uncomfortable, so could you please stop?

"The fact that your risk management is so solid gets you high marks in my book."

"...I think I'll refrain from asking what I'm being graded on."

This meeting got off to a rather chaotic start... but even in this short time, there was one thing I could say with certainty.

The most formidable person here—both in appearance and in substance—was without a doubt this mysterious maid.