“Sharl?”
“Ah, sorry. Filial piety is a good thing. Your mother seems to have worked hard…”
“Sharl?”
“…Do I look bad? Anyway, I can always help you with your studies, so do your best. You want to beat Toko, don’t you?”
Alright.
“I think the weekends can be as usual, but what about weekdays?”
“Let’s meet up after classes are done. We can meet at a family restaurant, or I could come to your place.”
“Then let’s do that. Oh, Saturday morning is for martial arts.”
“I know. I feel like I might be able to throw you soon.”
Impossible.
I’m not as forward or competitive as Toko.
“You, work hard.”
“You should study hard. We’ll start tomorrow.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks to your special training, I was able to beat Toko. See you tomorrow.”
Sharl said that and hung up.
“Grr… she hung up without saying goodbye at the end.”
Probably, she hung up before you could ask for a rematch.
“Besides, you did lose, didn’t you?”
“If we fought 100 times, I’d win 99.”
“If you lose once, consider it fatal.”
Well, according to Sharl, she was out of magic, so technically Toko won.
“Big Brother, I can’t afford to lose to the president.”
“Why? Is it because of La Folle?”
“Do I have any advantages over her?”
Looks, figure, personality…
“I’m glad I was born a man.”
“Gimme a break! Idiot, idiot!”
Toko complained and stormed out of the room.
“Ah, there are people who like someone like you… definitely, most likely…”
“I can hear you! If you’re gonna give me a compliment, do it properly! Even though we look the same!”
Ugh…
◆◇◆
The daily study sessions with Sharl began the next day.
Even though it was a weekday, due to the time difference, the afternoon classes here ended by 2 PM. From there, Sharl and I met up and studied together at my place or a family restaurant.
By the way, when Sharl came over on weekdays, my mother had already been crying, saying, “Studying so hard…”
So, we studied from Tuesday to Friday, and Saturday came.
Of course, there were no school classes today, but it was the day Sharl and I trained in martial arts, so I woke up early and headed to the park.
When I got to the park, there was no one on the bench where we had agreed to meet, so I decided to sit and wait.
Actually, it was surprising that Sharl hadn’t arrived yet.
Even though the meeting time hadn’t passed, it was unusual because Sharl always arrived first, whether at the academy or here.
I sat there gazing at the park’s clock, waiting without much thought.
However, five minutes past the appointed time and Sharl still hadn’t shown up.
“What should I do…”
I forgot my smartphone at home…
The downside of spatial magic is that it makes one prone to losing things, as I often mistakenly assume they’re stored in my spatial pocket.
“Ugh…”
Go back to get it or wait here…
If I go back, Sharl might arrive in the meantime.
It’s also quite possible that Sharl overslept.
“Ah, I’ll go back and get it…”
Thinking that pondering won’t resolve anything, I stood up. Then, I noticed someone approaching from afar.
When I squinted to look, though it was a woman, it wasn’t Sharl.
But, despite not being the person I was looking for, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Because this person was dressed in a maid outfit that seemed out of place in the morning park.
Furthermore, this maid was clearly looking right at me and heading this way.
“Eh…”
What should I do…
She’s looking straight at me…
“Good morning.”
The maid finally reached me, bowed her head, and greeted me.
“O-oh, good morning…”
I returned the greeting, and the maid raised her head and smiled brightly.
The maid was cute but appeared older.
She had good posture and blue-black short hair that suited her well. Moreover, she obviously didn’t look Japanese, and I had never seen or met her before.
“Are you Nagase Tsukasa-sama?”
“Ah, yes.”
She knows my name?
Do I know her?
Have I been to a maid café or something…?
“I am Chloe, the second daughter and maid to Mademoiselle Charlene.”
“Second daughter!? You look older than Sharl! Besides, do you have an older sister!?”
Liar!
“Ah, my phrasing was poor. I am Chloe, the maid serving Mademoiselle Charlene.”
Oh, a maid.
“With the maid uniform, I should’ve guessed.”
“Yes. I am a maid.”
I see, a maid, huh?
Impressive, truly befitting a prestigious family.
“So, what brings the maid here? Where’s Sharl?”
“Yes. Today, Mademoiselle and you, Tsukasa-sama, had an appointment here, but Mademoiselle is still asleep.”
She overslept, huh.
“Well, it is pretty early…”
We had our study session until late last night on Friday, so it’s understandable.
“No, it seems the Master of Iver, Mademoiselle’s father, contacted her late last night, and they were on the phone for a long time.”
Ah, I see.
As the next head, receiving such calls might be expected.
“Sharl’s dad didn’t consider the time difference?”
“Most likely.”
France and Japan have an 8-hour time difference. Evening there is midnight here.
“Well, it’s best to let her sleep then. No use waking her.”
“Yes. We’ve let her sleep without waking her. The alarm has been quietly turned off. She didn’t sleep until 4 AM.”
The meeting time was 6, so that’s two hours before. Considering preparation, she hardly slept an hour, if at all.
“Ah… May I ask, is Chloe-san sleeping?”
If she knew Sharl’s sleeping schedule and turned off the alarm, that means she was likely awake during that entire time.
“Please call me Chloe. I haven’t slept.”
Eh…
“Thank you very much for reading.”
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