Chapter 559: I'd Be Lying if I Said I Wasn't Happy

After the fun date with Kuro, it would have been great if we went back to the Central Tower together but…… As she was the one who was running the event, Kuro seemed to be busy, so we decided to part ways at the Central Plaza where we had first met.

Maybe because tomorrow is finally the last day of the Six Kings Festival, and there are preparations they need to make for the party that is going to be held in the Central Tower.

Anyway, after seeing Kuro off with a wave, I didn’t go back to the Central Tower…… and started walking towards the stalls.

Unnn, how should I say this…… I’ve eaten nothing but baby castellas for almost the whole day, so I wanted to eat something else. Dinner time is near so I’m going to try not to eat too much, but I want to eat some skewers or something.

As I was walking towards the area lined with stalls, I suddenly saw a familiar figure ahead of me…… someone who shouldn’t have been here.

[……Illness-san?]

[Oyaaa? If it isn’t Kaito-samaaaa, good evening~~ What a coincidenceeee, meeting you here.]

[Ah, yes. Good evening.]

When I called out to her…… Illness-san, a maid at Lilia-san’s mansion, turned around and replied with her peculiar tone.

Illness-san is a maid under Lilia-san’s service, and she’s the one who cleans my room and changes the sheets on my bed.

At about 120cm tall, she’s the smallest person I’ve ever met except for Raz-san, and with her dark gray-colored hair that is moderately long she had the image of a youthful beauty.

However, as one would have expected in this world, where appearances couldn’t always describe what a person is, and despite her petite stature, Illness-san seems to be the oldest of the servants in the mansion.

And there are two…… no, three major characteristics that could describe Illness-san.

The first is her peculiar way of speaking. The second is her unfocused black eyes…… as if she was always staring at the empty skies.

And the third……

[Kuhiii, kuhihihihi…… Even though it may be a coincidenceeee~~ I’m glaaaad to have met Kaito-samaaaa.]

——is her very creepy smile that looks more like a grin rather than a smile.

Her peculiar way of speaking, unfocused eyes and creepy laugh…… If one only looks at these, how should I say this…… although it may be rude to say this, they would think that she’s a creepy person.

In fact, when I first met her…… I actually got really scared of her.

[Oyaaa? Kaito-samaaaa, do you mind crouching for a biiiiit?]

[Eh? Ah, yes.]

The sight of Illness-san urging me to crouch down with a smile on her face, the corners of her lips turned up so high that I can see her teeth, makes it look as if she’s going to play a prank on me.

Following Illness-san’s words…… Illness-san took a comb out of nowhere and started combing my hair.

[……There~~ You look greaaaat.]

[Thank you.]

[No, noooo~~]

Unnn, well, how should I say this…… I thought Illness-san was very creepy when I first met her, but she was actually…… a very “caring and gentle person”.

In the beginning, when I first came to this world, I was the only man in a mansion filled with women, so I was feeling ashamed, but it was Illness-san who stepped forward to be my exclusive maid, and I have been under her care ever since I came to this world.

The room she cleans is always spotless, the bed is very comfortable, and the clothes she washes are wrinkle-free.

Anyway, she is very talented and Lilia-san said that she’s indebted to Illness-san. Of course, I’m also indebted to her.

Furthermore, not only was she a skilled maid, she was also a top-notch leader, and this is something I just heard but…… it seems that it was actually Illness-san who instructed Anima in miscellaneous tasks such as letter processing, and Eta and Theta in the basic tasks of being a maid.

On top of that, she’s even taking care of Bell and Lynn while Sieg-san and I are away……

But well, even though she’s an amazing person, according to her, she doesn’t like standing out, so she basically stays behind the scenes.

In addition to Eta and Theta, she has also given Anima some advice and handed over some jobs related to me if she wants them, and the three of them are quite fond of Illness-san.

For me personally, she has been very helpful in many ways. She cleans my room, brings me tea and sweet butter cookies when I’m tired, and arranges my hair when visiting the royal castle.

[……H- Hmmm. It will beee a bit chillllllly from now oooooon~~ So it might be gooooood to let it grow longer for a biiiiiit.]

[Ah, yes. Errr…… Can I entrust them to you again?]

[Yeeeees~~ You can count on meeeeee.]

[Thank you as always.]

Incidentally, the person who had cut my hair when it grew longer is also Illness-san.

And well, although Illness-san has an unusual way of speaking and laughing…… She is motherly, kind, a touch-notch maid and leader, and yet, she is not conceited at all, and was humble and incredibly nice.

She had a different type of motherliness from Kuro who was just like the sun, pulling you in and wrapping you up in her warmth with a smile. Illness-san was just like the moon, gently supporting behind my back, advising me on the path I should take even in the darkest of times.

[……Speaking of which, I’m changing the subject, how come Illness-san is here?]

[I’m here to deliveeeeeer~~ a document to My Lady that requires her urgent confirmation. I’ve just finished thaaaaaaat~~ and I’m heading back to the mansiooooooon.]

Illness-san didn’t participate in the Six Kings Festival. Well, I invited her and I don’t know if she doesn’t like going to noisy places or not, but she refused and stayed at the mansion.

[……Errr, are you in a hurry to go back?]

[Hmmm. I’m not really in a hurrrrrry, so is something the matter?]

[Well, ummm…… I was just about to go check out the stalls…… and I’ve always been indebted to Illness-san, so I thought I could treat you to something if you’d like…… but Illness-san did mention that you don’t like noisy places, right?]

[Nooo~~ It’s not that I don’t like iiiiiit, I also like things when things are livelyyyyy. Let’s seeeee, please waiiiit for a bit, okaaaaay?]

When I suggested that I wanted to repay Illness-san for all the help she has always given me, she took out a small pocket watch from the pocket of her maid uniform.

Then, after looking at the time for a bit, she turned to me and let out her usual smile.

[Kuhihi…… If it’s for two hoursssssss, it should be alriiiiiiiiight. Well theeeeen, since you’ve invited meeeeee, I’d be happy to join youuuuuu.]

[T- Thank you. I’m sorry for the bother……]

[No, noooooo~~ I’m very happyyyy that Kaito-sama is thinking well of meeeeee. Kuhihi.]

Even though it was a sudden invitation, Illness-san readily agreed to my invitation.

Dear Mom, Dad———— Depending on who listens to it, it may sound like I’m asking her out on a date but…… I don’t have any ulterior motive at all, and I was only thanking her for all the help she has done for me. N- No, I guess that would be a bit of an exaggeration. Although the main purpose really is to thank her, having to walk around stalls with a beautiful girl like Illness-san, as a man————- I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy.

Serious-senpai : [Why the heck are you on another date!? Gununu, do you really want to torment me that much, protagonist…… Well, putting that aside, what is she really like? What’s the true nature of that new character?]

? ? ? : [Why are you asking me? I’m ? ? ?, someone unrelated to the Ten Demons, you know?]

Serious-senpai : [You can drop the act already…… Is that her true nature?]

? ? ? : [No, well…… That’s her real personality. She’s easily misunderstood because of the way she talks and laughs, but she has a pretty decent personality. She never misses any of the periodic reports, and she’s probably the most sensible of the Ten Demons.]

Serious-senpai : [……What about the others?]

? ? ? : [……There’s a few of them who have some bugs in their loyalty, a troublemaker who makes ultrasonic waves everytime she cries, a cruel one who always plays around with men, one who doesn’t talk at all, even though she can talk properly, and one who often corrodes desk and chairs, even if it’s not on purpose.]

Serious-senpai : [……Doesn’t seem like there’s anyone decent among them.]

(T/N: Not sure about their genders, so I’m going to assume they’re female. I think I remember that corroding guy being a guy though. Not sure.)

T/N: 1/180