The sound of a beautiful voice suddenly echoed inside the store, drawing the attention of both employees and customers to her. Standing there was a woman clad in a revealing maid uniform, unlike any seen in this establishment.
“Uwah, look at that maid outfit emphasizing the bust! I could never wear something like that, it’s too embarrassing,” Rachel muttered, looking down at her own chest. The male customers in the store were captivated by the cleavage, their mouths watering.
“Even without a chest… *sniffle*” Caro, having no way to compete, became dejected. The woman who appeared possessed a similarly impressive bust to Marie’s, and her revealing outfit made it even harder to know where to look.
“Um, are you a customer? I am Marie, the owner of this shop. Do you need something from Kent-san?” Marie, the only one who could rival the newcomer in terms of her chest, stepped forward to attend to her.
“Heh, I’m surprised to find someone who can compete with me. However, you can’t win against age, can you?”
“Gah!”
The maid, appearing a full generation younger, had defeated Marie with a single provocative remark.
“I didn’t come here to be your enemy. I simply came to meet Kent-sama as per my madam’s orders.”
“I am Kent. What business do you have with me?”
Setting aside Marie and the others, who were openly showing their hostility, Kent inquired about her business.
“Yes, if I may mention the matter of the school festival sponsorship, you should understand.”
“Ah, Auntie’s?”
“A-Auntie… No, please excuse me.”
The maid seemed about to say something but quickly regained her composure and stated her purpose.
“I have been instructed by that Aunt… Madam to come speak to you regarding the school festival sponsorship. If it’s not an imposition, may I wait until closing time?”
“Kent-san, I think we can manage with the current staff today, so why don’t you go home and discuss it there? If you stay here any longer, neither I nor the others can get any work done…” Marie thoughtfully suggested Kent leave early.
“Understood. Then I shall head back first. The discussion will take place at my house.”
“Understood.”
Kent and the maid left the store and entered Kent’s house.
“Well then, please come this way.”
“Thank you.”
Anyone who had entered Kent’s house before would typically be astonished by the furnishings, but this maid showed no reaction. Kent invited her to sit in a living room chair, and after she was seated, he sat in the chair opposite her across the table.
“Are you perhaps a noble, like Auntie? If so, isn’t that way of addressing you inappropriate?”
“Yes, I cannot disclose that information at this time, but it is a renowned family within the country. Regarding how you address me, it would normally be considered disrespectful, and such an address would not be permitted. However, since the Madam has stated she doesn’t mind, I cannot stop you from doing so. Therefore, I believe it’s fine to continue calling me that.”
As Josette had predicted, the sponsor turned out to be from an aristocratic family.
“Forgive my tardiness. I am Clara, and I work under the Madam. From now on, I will be your liaison, so please take care of me.”
“I look forward to working with you as well.”
“First, this is the receipt for the donation made to the academy by the sponsor. As for the conditions, they are as the Madam stated, without any specific requirements, so you are free to decide on the exhibition content. However, we will require a submission of estimates for the exhibition. We have not set an upper limit on the sponsorship amount, but it would be a good impression on the Madam if you set it within reason. However, if it is too little, it could tarnish the family name, so please be mindful of that.”
When sponsoring a school festival, in addition to the costs of the exhibition, a donation must be made to the academy. Due to this condition, stores with no revenue or impoverished nobles with low incomes are unable to become sponsors.
“Thank you for the immediate donation. We will contact you once the content is decided.”
Clara’s presented receipt was genuine, indicating that the donation to the academy had already been completed. With this, Kent was left with no other option but to ask for sponsorship from Auntie’s household.
“Yes, I look forward to it.”
“Then, how should I contact you?”
“As I mentioned earlier, I will be your liaison…”
“What do you mean?”
Kent didn’t quite understand what Clara was implying.
“Until the school festival ends, by order of the Madam, I will be assigned as your personal maid to take care of your needs. Please feel free to give me any requests, not just for contact purposes.”
Frankly, Kent didn’t think he needed a maid. Housework was already being handled by Marie, Catherine, and Al. As a result, Kent was doing almost nothing outside of his work and school-related matters. Therefore, even if assigned a maid, he had no tasks for her.
“Even if you say anything, I can’t think of anything right now.”
“It really can be anything, you know? Shall I offer some comfort, perhaps?”
“No, I’ll refrain.”
“Is that so… That’s a shame. I’ve been studying various things, so I believe I could be of use…”
Kent refused Clara’s offer. He thought that if Marie found out about such a thing, she would be saddened.
“Well then, I’m going back to work, so you should rest here.”
“Understood.”
Interpreting Kent’s words as an instruction to rest, Clara bowed. Then, leaving Clara behind, Kent returned to the store.
“Welcome back, Kent-san. How did the discussion go?”
Upon returning to the store, Marie asked Kent about it. Kent informed her that Clara would be assigned as his personal maid for the time being.
“…So you mean we’ll be living together. And a maid, no less… Kent-san, you truly are becoming one of the noble esteemed members, aren’t you? Hehe.”
Kent found Marie’s mischievous grin quite charming.
“Ehh, a maid, that’s great! I want one too! I should have taken the one I found last time.”
Rachel still seemed to want a personal maid. It appeared she had developed quite an attachment to the maid she’d tried to bring back from Marc’s mansion after the maid had fainted.
“Hey, you have money, so if you want a maid that badly, why don’t you hire one?”
“Where can I go to get one recommended?”
“I’ve never hired one, so I don’t know. Caro-san, do you know?”
When Kent made the suggestion, Rachel stated she didn’t know how. He then decided to ask Caro, a noble daughter, for her opinion.
“A maid, you say? Generally, it’s a private contract. Larger households often train their own maids. There are also families that have served as maids for generations, serving the same master’s household. For your information, we also have a few maids, and they are employed through private contracts. Also, though I don’t particularly recommend it, there are also companies that function like dispatch agencies.”
“Why don’t you recommend them?”
Curious about why Caro didn’t recommend the dispatch companies, Kent inquired.
“Well, that’s because…”
Just as Caro was about to explain, a large explosion sounded from the direction of Kent’s house.
“Kya!”
“Eh, what?”
“Older brother, that’s an explosion! What happened?”
“Kent-san, it’s coming from your house. Let’s go see what’s happening!”
Catherine, Patty, Rachel, and Marie, who were near Kent, rushed to his side in surprise. After everyone had gathered, they evacuated the customers in the store to a safe location.
