Though still a trainee maid, Tsuchimikado Maika was an outstanding student that Ryouran Maid School took great pride in.
In some areas, she was truly exceptional—especially her cooking skills, which left all the other trainee maids far behind.
"Good morning, Tsuchimikado-san," said Misaka-senpai, tugging at Shirai Kuroko who was crouched on the ground holding her head before she spoke.
"Good morning, Tsuchimikado-san," Shirai Kuroko rubbed her head as she stood up, her gaze drifting subtly toward Natsume Tsuchimikado as she spoke.
Natsume felt Shirai's faintly resentful stare and shot a dissatisfied look back at a certain someone.
"Tsuchimikado-san, are you here at the dorm again today to help check the circuits?"
Misaka recalled how, just a few days prior, Tsuchimikado had been walking around the dorm with a multimeter, assisting with electrical inspections, and couldn't help but ask.
"Not today. My work's already wrapped up for now—this is my personal stroll time. You know, maids aren't robots, after all."
Her tone was leisurely, almost as carefree as if she were camping outdoors.
A small dimple appeared at the corner of Tsuchimikado's mouth, as if declaring she was a maid with her own unique personality.
She adjusted the cuffs and collar of her maid uniform slightly. At the collar, a small bow was tied in an intricately unique style, making her look full of energy.
This kind of liveliness was fundamentally different from the kind jolted into you by cold stimuli—it radiated from the inside out, a genuine drive.
"Tsuchimikado-san, you've already finished work this early?!"
Natsume's shock was genuine, as though the teacher had just handed out holiday assignments yesterday, and before she'd even written her name, the star student next door had already finished everything.
Just a moment ago, Natsume had been feeling rather pleased with herself for waking up early. But there's always someone better. She realized she still had much to learn.
"The part I'm responsible for is the bread for breakfast. By the way, today's bread is baguettes and banana bread. I'll still need to help out later when breakfast starts."
Tsuchimikado thought for a moment before continuing. When she mentioned the bread she'd made, her face was full of confidence.
"But Natsume-san, you're up especially early today," Tsuchimikado added, almost as if praising her, after answering Natsume's question.
"Why does everyone keep pointing that out?" Natsume said weakly.
Five minutes later, Natsume was back at her own dorm room, Room 210, unlocking the door.
Tsuchimikado Maika followed behind her at a relaxed pace, a glint of anticipation in her eyes, her gaze bright and focused.
"Tsuchimikado-san, are you really, truly sure you want to see this?" Natsume's expression was grave, as if double-checking Tsuchimikado's decision.
Seeing Tsuchimikado nod firmly, her gaze turning serious and complex, Natsume finally crouched down and looked under the bed.
Bending over awkwardly, Natsume dragged two large boxes out from under the bed with some effort. She lightly brushed off nonexistent dust, then slowly unlocked the combination locks on the boxes.
Each box was stuffed with at least a hundred comic books—action, comedy, youth, adventure, shoujo—every genre was represented.
Natsume had always enjoyed reading comics and occasionally bought a few volumes. But over time, she'd unknowingly accumulated hundreds.
Luckily, Natsume always stored her comics with the spines facing up, so she didn't need to flip through them one by one.
A quick slide of her finger over the spines was all it took to find what she was looking for.
In no time, Natsume handed several volumes of a comic titled "Demon Slayer" to Tsuchimikado.
"This is the series we talked about last time, right? It seems really hard to find in Academy City now," Natsume said seriously.
It had taken her quite some time to collect the full set.
In science-focused Academy City, anything involving gods, spirits, or demons was a restricted topic.
Even if this comic was hugely popular outside, it was rarely seen inside Academy City. To get the complete series, you had to go to external comic shops in the underground districts.
"Yes, this is the one! I've been looking for it for so long and couldn't find it. Online, I could only find a few scattered parts."
"The adventures of big brother Tanjirou and his little sister Nezuko—just hearing about it gives me such a vibe."
Tsuchimikado Maika spoke cheerfully, her usually laid-back tone unconsciously brightening.
"Tsuchimikado-san, let me tell you, this comic isn't really suitable for minors. It's got a lot of fighting, really violent, and there are man-eating demons too. It's totally unscientific—you might not be able to sleep at night after reading it."
Natsume spoke with some concern.
Though she was also a minor, having been reborn once, she considered herself mentally an adult.
Tsuchimikado glanced at Natsume suspiciously, as if not quite believing her.
"It's true! They're always slashing at each other with swords, and blood goes everywhere," Natsume insisted, urgently recalling scenes from the plot to persuade her.
"Alright, I've made up my mind. In exchange, how about I help you clean your room today? There's still plenty of time before breakfast—definitely enough."
Tsuchimikado Maika blinked, holding the comics in her hand. It was as if her maid spirit had ignited. She pulled Natsume into starting a major cleanup. Exchanging labor for comics—that was so like Tsuchimikado.
"How surprising, Natsume-san. Your room is so clean—truly fitting for an ojou-sama."
Sitting on the bare mattress, Tsuchimikado looked around with admiration, glancing at Natsume who was wiping hard-to-reach corners of the sofa with a cloth.
After a thorough cleaning, Tsuchimikado realized she could only touch up a few spots here and there—the room was already quite tidy.
But at Natsume's strong insistence, the sofa was left for Natsume to clean herself.
Suddenly recalling her bold declaration from their first meeting—that she would teach Natsume how to clean—Tsuchimikado's face flushed slightly.
"Of course. When it comes to cleanliness, I'm on a super high-school level—even the Dorm Supervisor has praised me," Natsume said proudly, quietly brushing away some stray potato chip crumbs from the sofa corner before speaking up.
"I do a high-temperature sterilization in my room every few days. Germs and mold don't stand a chance around me." Natsume dusted off a teddy bear as she spoke matter-of-factly.
Everyone has a little bit of OCD, right?
She also regularly sterilized her sofa and teddy bear at high temperatures, though there seemed to be a slight scorch mark on the bear's bottom.
Excellent. The bear was perfectly clean too. She pulled out a bunch of items from the bear's belly and inspected them carefully—all clean, no crumbs anywhere.
Tsuchimikado bounced on the bed a few times before settling comfortably into a seated position.
"Natsume-san, do you never sleep in your bed? There aren't even any sheets or blankets," Tsuchimikado asked curiously. If nobody slept in beds or used bedding, the housework load would be so much lighter.
"I use it sometimes. But I'm not really fond of big beds. The sofa isn't large, but it feels really secure to sleep on."
Natsume wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead as she explained. The sofa was super soft, and she didn't have to fold blankets or make the bed every day.
"In that case, Natsume, aren't you afraid of falling off while you sleep?" Another tricky question, but it couldn't stump Natsume.
"Not at all. When you sleep on the sofa, the middle sinks in—how could you possibly fall off?" Natsume answered without thinking.
"It's so soft! What's this sofa made of?" Tsuchimikado stood up and curiously touched Natsume's sofa. With a slight press, her whole arm started to sink in.
Sitting down on the sofa, Tsuchimikado sank a few inches into it, as if being enveloped.
"Comfortable, right? I spent a long time deciding before I finally bought this sofa," Natsume said proudly, before plunging headfirst into the sofa herself.
--+--
Having woken up early, Natsume was then pulled into cleaning her room for a good half hour. By the time she left the dorm, it was around her usual departure time.
Natsume patted her slightly full stomach, inwardly feeling how nice it was to have a maid as a friend.
She then recalled today's schedule—no etiquette classes in the morning, so no need to worry about being too full.
She didn't wait for the school bus. Natsume had already decided to ride her bicycle to school. Thanks to Misaka-senpai's influence, wearing safety shorts while cycling had become the norm.
As an oddball who cycled in a skirt, Natsume often criticized Tokiwadai Middle School's impractical uniform policy. Students should have the freedom to choose their clothes before and after school, she believed.
Futile rage. A certain marginal figure like Natsume could only complain inwardly—after all, she was just an ordinary student.
Truth be told, among the entire School Garden, there weren't many girls who rode bicycles like Natsume. Maybe that was what made her unique.
Riding her bicycle through streets and alleyways, Natsume stayed fully alert, observing her surroundings.
After her last experience nearly colliding with Tsuchimikado, she'd become much more safety-conscious while cycling.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.