Inheriting the Konohana blood, Hinako possessed an exceptionally high-performance brain—one that short-circuited for the first time in her life.
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After finishing our shopping at the supermarket, Ms. Shizune and I were packing the groceries into plastic bags at the register.
"Itsuki-san, thank you for your help."
"No, it was no trouble at all."
We had purchased several days' worth of food. Since we already had drinks and seasonings back at the apartment, we hadn't bought anything excessively heavy, but it was still a bit much for one person to carry alone.
"I have to say, though, I was surprised. I didn't think you were the type to worry over grocery shopping, Ms. Shizune."
"What exactly do you take me for?...It has simply been quite some time since I've utilized a common supermarket. I found myself unsure which ingredients would best suit the Young Lady's palate."
Ms. Shizune had certainly taken her time. Even for a single carrot, she had carefully scrutinized the selection to determine which one would most likely please Hinako's tongue.
"How do you usually handle the groceries?"
"We have everything delivered. While staying at your home, Itsuki-san, I considered having our food delivered there as well, but I abandoned the idea once I realized the costs would be higher than anticipated."
"You certainly know how to be frugal when it counts."
"Determining how to reduce expenses as much as possible while still maintaining the Young Lady’s public standing... that is also part of a maid’s duty. The fact that we are walking home right now is part of that as well."
If Hinako had been with us, we probably would have taken a car. I’m sure Ms. Shizune had the authority to summon a vehicle with a single word if she truly wanted to, but she chose not to exercise it.
"Pardon me. I need to use the restroom for a moment."
"Understood. I shall wait for you outside."
I handed the bags to Ms. Shizune and headed for the restroom near the supermarket entrance. I felt a twinge of guilt for leaving a woman holding all the luggage, so I hurried as much as I could. Ms. Shizune probably didn't mind, but it bothered me.
Wait... where is she?
When I stepped back outside, Ms. Shizune was nowhere to be found. I started walking toward the apartment and eventually spotted her at the entrance of the shopping district.
She was staring silently at a clothing store's display window. The mannequin was dressed in the kind of cute, frilly clothes a teenage girl might like... though they looked a bit childish and out of place, as if they belonged to a different era. It felt like a typical shop for an old-fashioned shopping district, far from being a trendy boutique for the youth.
For some reason, Ms. Shizune was staring at the outfit with a dead-serious expression. It looked like something that would suit Hinako, but honestly, I couldn't imagine Ms. Shizune herself wearing it. Still, she seemed fascinated, so...
"...Um, do you want to try it on?"
"!?"
When I spoke, Ms. Shizune spun around with a rare look of panic.
"N-no, you're mistaken! It is not that I particularly wish to wear it myself!"
"No, it's fine. I’ll keep it a secret if you want..."
"I am telling you, you're wrong!"
"Ah, right. Sorry."
She glared at me with an intimidating pressure that was no laughing matter. I had initially thought she was desperately trying to save face, but it seemed I really was mistaken.
"Well... my family was in the apparel business, so I was simply interested," Ms. Shizune said as we resumed our walk home.
From her phrasing, it didn't sound like her family just worked in the industry; it sounded like the family itself had managed a company. I had always caught glimpses of her refined upbringing in her every movement, so that explanation made sense.
Still... why did Ms. Shizune become a maid for the Konohana family?
Lately, perhaps because we were living in a different environment than usual, I’d been finding myself more curious about Ms. Shizune’s past and her values.
"Since this is a good opportunity, allow me to tell you a little about my background."
As if seeing right through me, Ms. Shizune began to speak.
"You are aware that Kikou Academy is considered one of the top three prestigious schools in Japan, yes?"
"Um, yes."
"Which means there are two other academies at that same level."
Ms. Shizune held up her middle and index fingers.
"I attended one of those other academies."
"Wait, really?"
That was news to me. It appeared Ms. Shizune’s academic pedigree was quite impressive.
"...So you really were a young lady from a wealthy family, Ms. Shizune."
"On the surface, at least," she said with a meaningful tone. "My family owned an apparel company that had existed since the Meiji era. We were listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and reached the height of prosperity at one point... However, due to the collapse of the bubble economy and failing to keep up with the subsequent times, management faltered, and we eventually went bankrupt."
So the business had collapsed.
At Kikou Academy, we study history in relation to management, so I could vaguely guess what had happened. In the apparel industry after the bubble burst, the defining trend was the rise of fast fashion. As the public tightened their purse strings and department stores carrying luxury brands stagnated, fast fashion reshaped the entire industry. It seemed Ms. Shizune’s family had failed to ride that wave.
"There were two reasons I was able to attend that academy. One was out of deference to our family's past glory. The other was because my parents tried to use me to maintain a facade of wealth....But the reality was that we had already fallen. As I mentioned before, my family’s standard of living was not much different from a common household."
Ms. Shizune paused, looking at my face as if she’d just realized something.
"In a sense, Itsuki-san, we may have been in similar positions. I spent my time with my classmates while keeping my family circumstances hidden as much as possible."
"...Now that you mention it, that's true."
Come to think of it, Ms. Shizune had shown me a lot of consideration regarding my situation. Perhaps her own experiences were what drove her to do so.
"While I felt suffocated by the gap between my reputation and reality, I threw myself into my studies. As a result, before I knew it, I was competing for the top spots in the academy."
Okay, so we weren't in similar positions at all. Ms. Shizune and I were fundamentally different—mostly in terms of brainpower.
"It was then that I met him. The eldest son of the Konohana family... Takuma-sama."
The connection to the Konohana family finally emerged, but the first person Ms. Shizune mentioned wasn't Hinako, but Takuma.
"Takuma-sama attended the same academy I did, though he was already a busy person back then and rarely showed his face at school. However, one day—I do not know where he heard of me—Takuma-sama came to my house specifically because he had learned of my grades and circumstances. He asked, 'If you don't have plans after graduation, why don't you come to our place?' I was considering continuing my education, so I declined at the time... but after many twists and turns, I accepted the proposal a year later."
"Twists and turns?"
"To put it simply, university lectures were tedious."
That was far too simple.
"If you are considering higher education as well, Itsuki-san, you should choose your university carefully. If someone accustomed to Kikou Academy goes to an ordinary university, they will find themselves bewildered in many ways."
"I'll keep that in mind," I nodded.
"Also, it's frustrating to admit, but back then, I respected Takuma-sama to some degree....Due to the immaturity of my youth, I looked down on those around me at the academy. Even if my family had fallen, I felt my abilities were second to none. I held a great deal of pride. Therefore, the children of the wealthy around me seemed like carefree people raised in a greenhouse."
Ms. Shizune looked down as she spoke, as if ashamed of her past self.
"The one who knocked me off my high horse was Takuma-sama. No matter what I did, I could not beat that man in academic ability or experience... I remember being horrified, thinking, 'So this is the real deal.'"
Ms. Shizune had mentioned before that Takuma possessed the abilities worthy of the Konohana bloodline. Was he looking for promising talent back then? If so, Ms. Shizune was an absolute steal. Her grades were top-tier, but she had no family business to inherit. Approaching her had been a brilliant move.
"So, Ms. Shizune, you're grateful to Takuma then?"
"No, not at all."
Wait, what? I thought that was where the story was heading.
"Once I actually started working under Takuma-sama, any prior gratitude was completely erased....That man is truly, genuinely selfish. Every day, I felt like I was developing stomach ulcers."
"If you're talking about selfishness, I feel like Hinako is a bit like that too..."
"Hah." Ms. Shizune gave a dry laugh. "Compared to Takuma-sama, the Young Lady is adorable....If you take your eyes off that man, you'll find him in Antarctica or somewhere."
Ms. Shizune said this with a distant look in her eyes. The scale of the selfishness was on a different level. Hinako was the type who didn't like to exert physical energy, so she was relatively manageable, but it sounded like Takuma was the type who overflowed with vitality and dragged everyone into his wake.
"Fed up with Takuma-sama's capriciousness, I was considering returning to university when, through Kagen-sama's arrangement, I began serving the Young Lady....And that brings us to the present."
With that, Ms. Shizune concluded her story. It seemed she had gone through quite a lot of hardship to reach her current position. My questions about why she became a maid and why she served Hinako were finally answered.
But at the same time, I found myself thinking more about Takuma.
"Um, Ms. Shizune."
"What is it?"
"Actually, the last time I met Takuma, he whispered something to me. He said, 'At your current state, you can't be a place for Hinako to belong.'...What do you think he meant by that?"
"...I see. What do you think, Itsuki-san?"
She answered my question with another question, probably because she felt it was important for me to figure it out myself. That said, I was only asking because I’d already thought about it quite a bit.
"I thought maybe I need to further refine my academic abilities and my conduct."
"I see. That would be the logical conclusion, but... I believe that is likely wrong."
So my guess was off.
"I suspect Takuma-sama is pointing out something much more fundamental. Not grades, nor conduct..."
"...Do you know what he was talking about, Ms. Shizune?"
"I have a guess....However, to be honest, I feel it would be cruel to demand that of the current Itsuki-san."
Ms. Shizune pressed her lips together with a troubled expression. She was clearly debating whether to give me clear advice or remain silent. Takuma’s true meaning might be something far more delicate than I realized.
Eventually, we arrived back at the apartment. When I opened the front door, Hinako's shoulders jumped in surprise. She shoved something she’d been holding into a paper bag with incredible speed.
"Hinako, what's wrong?"
"I-it’s nyothing...!"
Was she doing something? Her face was beet red.
"Oh, that's right."
Before I forgot, I pulled something out of the shopping bag to show her.
"Ms. Shizune found it—it’s a brush for the bath. It's supposed to be easier to get clean if you brush your hair before shampooing, so let's try it out today."
Normally, taking your time to wash thoroughly is fine, but unlike the spacious bath she was used to, the one we were using now was narrow and the ventilation wasn't great. Hinako always seemed to want to get out quickly. I had bought the brush to help shorten the time spent in the bath.
I thought she might be interested, but—
"T-to..."
"To?"
"T-today... I'm going in the bath... by my-myself...!"
Hinako stammered the words out. I stood there, dazed, for a moment at the unexpected reaction.
"...Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's quite alright."
Ignoring my anxiety, Ms. Shizune looked at the paper bag lying on the floor. She nodded as if she understood everything.
"It simply means the Young Lady is growing."
"...?"
I didn't understand what she meant at all. I figured things would go back to normal after a while, so I decided not to worry about it.
However, my prediction was wrong.
From that day on, Hinako's behavior became very strange.