I had finally reached my sanctuary, the bathroom, but I never imagined Airi would spot me just as I was about to slip inside.
"Curly blonde hair, and you're so tall! Yuria’s house even has a foreign maid! That’s amazing!"
Apparently, Airi actually took me for a real maid.
Even if I was wearing a blonde wig and a maid outfit for cosplay, it was still my face. You’d think she would have noticed...
Then again, Yuria had done a bit of work on my face while we were getting ready. Maybe that was doing the trick?
Still, Airi had a nose like a bloodhound. I expected her to pick up on my scent regardless—
"Wait... sniff, sniff. This maid... she smells just like Airi’s friend."
The moment the words left her mouth, I felt like my eyes and voice were going to leap right out of my head.
Her sense of smell was basically on par with a drug-sniffing dog’s. Seriously, what was wrong with this girl?! I guess it wasn't just her massive bust that was superhuman.
"A... a friend?" I squeaked.
"Yeah! You have the exact same scent as Airi’s friend!"
This was bad. Even an airhead like Airi might connect the dots eventually. If it had come to this, I had no choice but to throw together a backstory and talk my way through it.
"I-I am a distant relative of Miss Yuria! I’ve been entrusted with the maid duties of this household while Miss Yuria’s parents are away on their overseas trip! I have absolutely no connection to any friend of Miss Airi! For that matter, I can’t imagine who would share my scent—I’d almost like to meet this person myself!"
Leaning on the falsetto and acting skills I’d honed for a school play once, I piled one lie on top of another in a desperate bid to survive the moment.
"You want to meet him? Maid-san, do you want to hear about Airi’s friend?"
"Oh, well, that wasn’t exactly what I—"
"Then I’ll tell you! Let’s see... he’s a boy who always plays with Airi—"
Here we go. But judging by her reaction, it seemed like I’d successfully pulled the wool over her eyes.
Do you seriously not realize it’s me, Airi? Wait... if she thinks I'm someone else, then if I were to intentionally cause another "lucky lewd" moment and grope her, it would technically be a first offense, right? Maybe I’d be forgiven?
"Also, he’s a super pervy friend who’s always staring at Airi’s boobs—"
Airi, damn it! What kind of introduction is that?! Is this really how she describes me to other people?
"But you know... he’s always kind to Airi. He gives me lots of compliments, he treats me to food all the time, and he’s really good at keeping Airi’s secrets. That’s why Airi thinks that boy is..."
"Eh..."
"Ah! Never mind! It’s nothing!"
What was with her? What exactly did she think of me?
"Oh, and one more thing! We only became friends in high school, but I’m absolutely certain he’s the boy who gave Airi candy at the candy store back then!"
"O-Oh, is that so..."
"It’s true! When I got those wafers from him before, it felt just like it did back then! Ah, there’s no point in telling a maid about this, is there? Sorry."
She still believed I was the Wafer Prince from her childhood. I doubted it was actually me... though Yuria had just been grilling me about the same thing a moment ago.
Granted, even though I was a loner back in elementary school, I was the more active type of loner. It wouldn't be entirely impossible for me to have helped someone without realizing it, just like I did with Rui.
"But I was really surprised that you and Ryouta smell the same, Maid-san. Airi has a great nose, so I can tell all sorts of things by smell, but this is the first time I’ve ever found someone with Ryouta’s scent."
"Ah... well, I was just cleaning the restroom, so I might actually smell quite unpleasant."
"You’re not smelly at all! It’s a lovely fragrance. Maybe you use the same detergent as Ryouta?"
Airi leaned in even closer, her nose twitching as she continued to sniff me.
Oh, crap. If she gets this close, eventually she'll—
Because she was convinced I was a female maid, Airi was invading my personal space even more than she usually did. I could smell the shampoo on her hair, and her bra was visible through the thin white T-shirt.
The blood rushed to my lower half instantly. My bladder was screaming, but my body was reacting.
(In a sense, this might actually kill the urge to pee, but it’ll definitely kill my persona as a woman when she notices the tent in my skirt!)
Should I dash into the bathroom to relieve myself, or should I bask in Airi’s scent while staring at her body from point-blank range? It was the ultimate dilemma!
"No, ah... this is bad. I'm going to leak—"
"Hmm? What’s wrong, Maid-san?"
I turned my back to her, clutching my skirt tight.
Prioritize the bladder over the libido, damn it! If I leak at this age, it’s social suicide!
"Um, since I am still in the middle of cleaning the restroom, I shall return to my duties! Were you planning on using the facilities, Miss Airi?"
"No. The ice cream Airi bought earlier melted a bit, and I got some on my hand when I was opening it. I just came to wash it off."
"I-I see."
It wasn't just on her hand; she had vanilla on the tip of her nose, too.
"A-Anyway, I shall return to my cleaning!"
"Okay! Good luck, Maid-san!"
With Airi’s encouragement ringing in my ears, I dove into the bathroom and hiked up my skirt with zero hesitation. Finally, I was liberated from everything.