Witnessing Ein-san’s dedication—which truly lived up to her constant refrain of "being a maid"—I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or exasperated by how hardcore she was. As I wavered, she spoke while clutching the tin of tea.
"Well then, I shall attempt to brew some Royal Milk Tea with these leaves immediately. Would you care for a cup as well, Kaito-sama?"
"Ah, in that case, I’ll gladly take you up on that."
"Then let us move to my quarters."
"Sure... wait, your room?"
I was a bit slow to react to her casual suggestion. When I thought about it, it was only natural for Ein-san to have a room in Kuro’s castle, but still...
"Yes, fortunately it is quite close to here, so I thought it would be just right. If it is inconvenient for you, shall we go to the dining hall instead?"
"Ah, no, Ein-san's room is fine."
"Then this way, please."
But still, Ein-san’s room... Honestly, I couldn't even imagine it. I had been to Kuro’s castle several times and visited the rooms of other acquaintances.
Noin-san’s room contained an actual house with a small garden; Raz-san’s was filled with tiny, fancy furniture; Acht and Eva’s looked more like a combat gym than a bedroom... they were all so distinctive.
If that was the trend, would Ein-san’s room be covered in maid paraphernalia from floor to ceiling? No, even though Ein-san was obsessed with the concept of being a maid, she didn't seem like the type to collect maid-related trinkets. If anything, it felt more likely that she would have rows of tea equipment, similar to Jutia-san’s house.
Occupied by these thoughts, I followed her until we arrived at her door a short while later.
"Please, come in. It is a room with nothing in it, but..."
"Pardon me... Oh, wow."
When I stepped inside, I found a room that was extremely simple yet sophisticated. It wasn't that she had decorated it with ornaments; the furniture was sparse, kept to the absolute bare essentials. Yet, the placement was so tasteful that the entire space felt open and elegant. It had the refined air of a high-functioning professional's personal study.
"It’s beautiful. It’s minimalist, but that’s exactly what makes it so stylish."
"Thank you. Fundamentally, I only keep the bare essentials on display. Of course, I own many items besides what is here, but most are stored away using Space-Time Magic. I do not mean to dismiss the act of decorating a room with various items, but personally, I dislike waste and prioritize functionality."
"I see. Hearing that, it really does feel like your kind of room, Ein-san. Actually—and I mean no offense—for a second there, I imagined that you were so obsessed with your maid duties that you never actually used this place, so you only kept the bare minimum of furniture around. Hahaha..."
"...................."
I hadn't been serious; it was merely a joke I told while laughing. However, Ein-san, who was walking just ahead of me, came to a dead stop. It might have been my imagination, but her cheek seemed to twitch—a rare sight for her. It was as if I’d struck a nerve.
"...Um, Ein-san?"
"............No, I do use it. I use it for... well... thirty minutes a month. Ah, no, perhaps closer to an hour..."
Could you even call that "using" the room? I remembered Kuro grumbling that Ein-san never rested and that she had to force her to take breaks. This was definitely the case: she practically never set foot in here.
"I—I maintain a permanent resident maid state! A maid must always be a maid, and if one is to be a maid, one must be attending to one's duties!"
"Kuro was grumbling about how you never take a day off, Ein-san."
"Now then! I shall go prepare the Royal Milk Tea. Please, make yourself comfortable in that seat, Kaito-sama."
She fled! She actually turned tail with an awkward look on her face! She must really hate the idea of being caught not working. It was certainly "on brand" for her, but I finally understood why Kuro felt the need to complain.
Serious-senpai: "This is wrong. Why are these two acting like they’re on the Ein Route? Hurry up and brew the tea so we can move on..."