kscans

Chapter 577 - Every Moment, a New Turn

People are creatures of adaptation. We take the unknown and make it known, coming to terms with fear, awe, surprise, and all our other emotions until we grow accustomed to it all.

I probably understand this on a deeper level than your average eighteen-year-old.

It started with my time as a part-time warrior, experiencing a multitude of workplaces from short-term gigs to long-term positions. It continued with the desperate, sleep-deprived study sessions I forced into my daily routine. And it culminated in diving into a virtual world, only to end up in the special position of being a 'Ranker' or whatever they call it.

I’ve learned that as long as you have the time and can repeat the experience, you can get used to almost anything. Yes, for example—

"—and then, suddenly, a five-year-old me was plummeting headfirst into the ocean. What I remember is being slammed into the surface from a pretty good height, which hurt like hell, and the sensation of my body sinking deeper and deeper no matter how much I struggled… And then there was the forest of poisonous seaweed, glowing in all sorts of colors from the sunlight piercing the water, and the dead, emotionless eye of a huge fish that passed what felt like inches from my face."

"…I-I see. I can certainly understand how that would be traumatizing on several levels, but… um, Kasuga-san."

"Yes?"

"Your skillful descriptions of the scene and emotionally charged storytelling reveal a surprising talent, which is quite impressive, but my lady is getting frightened, so could you please tone it down…"

"Huh? Oh, ah, sorry. It's okay, seriously. My family jumped in and salvaged me right away, and I didn't have any major injuries or lasting effects, you know?"

"I believe the incident itself already qualifies as 'major.'"

"Well, now it's just a funny story from the distant past."

"Given that you're still carrying the trauma, I'd say it hasn't quite become a funny story yet."

"I'm fine with swimming, and small fish in a pond don't bother me, you know."

"What about large carp?"

"With that type, I can manage if I convince myself they're pets."

"Most people would not describe that as 'being fine.'"

"Incidentally, I've never been to an aquarium."

"Yes, I would imagine not…"

—And so, just like that.

Even an unrealistic fantasy like sharing a dinner table with a surprisingly good listener of a maid can, with enough repetition, transform into just another part of daily life.

"After hearing your stories… it seems you are thoroughly beloved by the gods, Kasuga-san."

"That look in your eyes is one of mockery. Care to elaborate on the details of this so-called love?"

"You've faced one turbulent event after another throughout your life, yet you always emerge unscathed in the end… It's as if you're some kind of favorite toy."

"Please don't say the same things my mother does."

It's been a while since I started visiting the Yotsuya residence on weekends. Naturally, I've had more opportunities to speak not only with Sora but with this maid as well, and it didn't take long for us to warm up to each other.

Well, we had a rather strange way of getting along before, but I couldn't have said we were 'friends' in any sense of the word, so I suppose our relationship has certainly changed.

Of course, if you were to ask if I was the one who actively tried to get closer… that wasn't quite it either.

"May I ask about your mother?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. My mother is basically the personification of vitality…"

It was the maid, or rather, Natsume-san—no, Itsuki-san, who initiated it.

To begin with, this whole 'invitation' originated from a letter of protest from her that read: "The other two are under the same roof, yet my lady continues to be left out. How is this acceptable? I demand compensation." And so it began.

When I accepted the demand without question and made the weekend visits a regular thing…

"My, an instructor of flower arranging… how wonderful."

"I only went to observe once when I was in elementary school, but she was really cool."

It was the maid, the maid, the maid who kept engaging with me, leaving her own 'lady' aside. At first, I was a bit taken aback by it, thinking, Seriously…? but—

When I glance to the side, I see her 'lady's' beaming smile, watching me get along with her 'family' with what looks like pure, undiluted joy.

Well, of course. It's not like this maid would ever put anyone before her.

"You'd look good doing that too, Itsuki-san. Flower arranging, tea ceremonies, things like that."

"Hehe… I actually have a bit of experience with them, from long ago."

"Is there anything this maid can't do… Wait, how long ago is 'long ago' for you—ack, okay, I'll take it back! I'll be quiet, just please stop with that full-faced smile, it's terrifying, so terrifying."

"My. What a thing to say to a maiden's gentle smile."

"—Hehe…"

Her reasons for teasing me probably aren't just for Sora's sake, but… at any rate, this time is not for me, nor is it for Itsuki-san.

It is a gift, prepared by a devoted maid for her precious lady.