My wonderful date with Kuro had come to an end. It would have been nice to head back to the Central Tower together, but as part of the festival management, she was understandably busy. We ended up parting ways at the Central Square, the same place we had first met.
Since tomorrow was finally the final day of the Six Kings Festival, she likely had to prepare for the party and other events scheduled at the Central Tower.
In any case, after seeing Kuro off with a wave, I didn't head straight back to the tower. Instead, I started walking toward the stalls.
Well, how should I put it? I realized I’d eaten almost nothing but baby castella all day. I wanted something else. I didn't want to overeat since I still had dinner waiting for me, but a skewer or something similar sounded perfect.
As I strolled toward the rows of vendors with that thought in mind, I suddenly spotted a familiar figure up ahead—someone who shouldn't have been there.
"...Illness-san?"
"Oh my... Kaito-sama. Good evening. To meet in a place like this... what a coincidence, isn't it?"
"Ah, yes. Good evening."
When I called out, the woman—Illness-san, a maid from Lilia-san’s mansion—turned around and replied in her characteristically distinctive drawl.
Illness-san was one of the maids serving Lilia-san, and she was the one who personally handled things like cleaning my room and changing my bedsheets.
Standing at only about 120 centimeters tall, she was the smallest person I’d met in this world, aside from Raz-san. With her slightly long, dull-colored hair, she looked like a beautiful young girl at first glance.
However, as was often the case here, appearances were deceiving. Despite her petite stature, Illness-san was apparently the most senior member among all the mansion's servants.
There were two... no, three major traits that defined her.
The first was her unique way of speaking. The second was her black eyes, which always seemed out of focus—as if she were staring into a distant void.
And the third was...
"Kuhi... kuhihihi... Even if it is just a coincidence... I’m happy to see you, Kaito-sama."
That smile. It wasn't a gentle beam; it was an eerie grin that seemed like it should be accompanied by a creeping sound effect.
The peculiar speech, the unfocused eyes, the unsettling laugh... if that was all you knew of her, she might just seem like a creepy person. To be honest, I was actually quite scared of her when we first met.
"Oh my... Kaito-sama, could you bend down a bit for me?"
"Eh? Ah, yes."
With a wide grin that showed her teeth, Illness-san beckoned me to lean down. To an outsider, she looked as though she were plotting something nefarious.
But then, Illness-san pulled a comb out of thin air and touched it to my head.
"...Your hair is a little messy. Please stay still for just a moment."
"Ah, right. Sorry."
After tidying my hair with practiced hands and lightly straightening my collar, she flashed that same eerie grin and spoke again.
"...There we go. Now you look wonderful."
"Thank you very much."
"No, it was nothing."
The thing was, while Illness-san seemed incredibly eerie upon first meeting, her true nature was that of a remarkably caring and kind woman.
Back when I had first arrived in this world, I felt quite out of place as the only man living in the mansion. Illness-san was the one who stepped forward to be my personal attendant, and in a way, she had been looking after me ever since.
The rooms she cleaned were always spotless, the bed was exceptionally comfortable, and the clothes she laundered never had a single wrinkle.
She was incredibly competent—so much so that Lilia-san admitted she couldn't hold a candle to her. Neither could I, for that matter.
Beyond her skills as a maid, she was also a top-tier mentor. I only found out later, but it was Illness-san who taught Anima clerical tasks like processing letters, and she was the one who trained Eta and Theta in the fundamentals of maid work.
On top of all that, while Sieg-san and I were away at the festival, she was even taking care of Bell and Rin.
Despite her amazing capabilities, she claimed she wasn't good at standing out and preferred to stay in the background. She had even handed over several of her duties regarding me to Anima, Eta, and Theta after giving them advice. All three of them adored her.
Personally, she’d saved me more times than I could count. Beyond cleaning, she’d bring me black tea and sweet butter cookies when I was exhausted, and she always styled my hair before I went to places like the Royal Castle.
"...Hmm. It will be getting a bit chilly from now on. Perhaps instead of just trimming it, it might be good to let your hair grow out a little."
"Ah, sure. Um... can I leave that up to you?"
"Yes, of course."
"Truly, thank you for everything, as always."
By the way, she was also the one who cut my hair when it got too long.
So, while her speech and laughter were unusual, Illness-san was a maternal, kind, and extraordinarily skilled woman who remained humble despite her talents.
She was a different type of mother figure than Kuro. While Kuro was like a sun—pulling you by the hand and filling you with smiles—Illness-san was like a moon. She offered advice on the path to take even in the darkness and quietly supported you from behind.
"...That reminds me, to change the subject, what brings you here, Illness-san?"
"I came to deliver some documents to Milady that required immediate attention. Now that I’m finished, I was just about to head back to the mansion."
Illness-san wasn't participating in the Six Kings Festival. I had invited her, but she stayed behind because she wasn't fond of noisy crowds.
"...Um, are you in a hurry to get back?"
"Hmm. Not particularly, but is something the matter?"
"Well, I was just about to go look at the stalls... and since you’re always doing so much for me, I thought I’d treat you to something if you’d like. But you said you don't like noisy places, right?"
"No, I’m just not great with them. I do like a lively atmosphere well enough. Let’s see... give me just a moment."
Hoping to repay even a fraction of the debt I owed her, I made the proposal. Illness-san pulled a small pocket watch from her maid uniform. After checking the time, she looked back at me with her usual grin.
"Kuhihi... I can spare about two hours. Since it’s a rare invitation, I would be delighted to join you."
"Oh, thank you. Sorry for the sudden ask."
"Not at all. Your kindness makes me very happy, Kaito-sama. Kuhihi."
Despite the impromptu invitation, she had readily agreed.
Dear Mother, Father—I feel like, depending on how it sounds, I might have just invited her on a date. However, I have no ulterior motives; this is strictly to thank her for her daily support. Well... maybe saying "no motives" is a bit of an exaggeration. While gratitude is the main reason, going to the stalls with a beautiful girl as lovely as Illness-san is... as a man, it would be a lie to say I wasn't happy.
Serious-senpai: "Why are you going for a date refill?! Gnuuu, are you determined to make me suffer no matter what, Protagonist?! Well, setting that aside... what’s the deal? What is that new character really like?"
???: "Why are you asking me? I’m just ???-chan. I’ve got absolutely nothing to do with the Ten Demons, you know?"
Serious-senpai: "Cut the act. Is that her real personality?"
???: "Well, yeah. That’s her natural state. She’s easily misunderstood because of the way she talks and laughs, but her personality is quite decent. She never misses her status reports, and she might actually be the most common-sense member among the Ten Demons."
Serious-senpai: "...And the others?"
???: "Let’s see... we’ve got a few whose loyalty is completely bugged, one troublemaker who generates ultrasonic waves every time she starts wailing, a total man-chaser, one who can talk but chooses to stay silent, and one who—though not on purpose—is constantly rotting desks and chairs."
Serious-senpai: "...There isn't a single normal person in that group, is there?"