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Sneaking the front door open as quietly as possible, Ethan slipped outside and glanced around. No one seemed to have noticed. He let out a sigh of relief.
Having someone that clingy following you everywhere was terrifying enough. But when that clingy person was a cute boy? Now that was nightmare fuel.
He exhaled in relief and turned around—only to freeze mid-motion.
Standing right in front of him was Sayuriko, staring up with wide, teary eyes.
"M-Master! Where are you going? And… is that luggage in your hand? Don't tell me—you're abandoning me, Master?" Her voice trembled like a lost kitten.
"How could I! Of course not! I just… uh… I've been cooped up in the house too long, so I thought I'd, you know, take a little trip! Just to relax! Haha, yeah, that's it. Totally!"
"Oh, I see!" Sayuriko smiled in relief. "You scared me for a second—I thought you didn't want me anymore! But if Master is going traveling, then as your most devoted maid, I'll naturally go along to take care of you! So, Master, where shall we go? Do you already have a destination in mind? If not, you can just tell me your preferences—I can recommend the perfect spot!"
"Uh… right… sure… I actually… well, I was just planning to, um, find somewhere random to relax. Yeah, just anywhere will do…"
"I see! In that case, allow me to suggest—"
And that's how it happened. What was supposed to be a solo trip—his chance to escape this overly adorable "boy maid"—somehow turned into her tagging along again.
"Master~""Master~""Master~"
That sweet, soft voice kept calling him, over and over. The maid outfit was flawless, her face was cute enough to melt ice—but he was a boy.
Absolutely terrifying.
Especially when that "Master" came every few seconds, accompanied by that innocent smile.
"Aaaahhh! Too scary! It's too scary!!"
Ethan shot upright, gasping for breath. The bright but messy room came into focus around him.
"Huh? This… is my room? Oh… it was a dream? Thank god—it was just a nightmare! What a horrible dream…" He collapsed back onto the bed with a long sigh.
"Heh… hehe…" He lay there chuckling like an idiot for a while before finally getting up to wash his face.
Free from that dreadful dream, Ethan felt lighter than air. The sunlight felt warmer than ever, every breath of air seemed fresher. The world was suddenly a beautiful place again.
He walked over to the window, opened it wide, and took a deep breath of morning air—
Only for a praying mantis-like monster to come flying straight toward him, wings buzzing, twin scythe-arms gleaming coldly in the light.
Slash!
Blood splattered. Ethan's cheerful smile froze. "Tch. My least favorite type of monster… the mantis kind!"
After that dream, he had a special kind of hatred for anything resembling a mantis.
"Ah, whatever. It's just a dream anyway! My world's still beautiful!" Ethan laughed, patting his chest. "Must be from reading Bald Guy and Cyborg too much… I'm never touching that series before bed again. But hey, it was just a nightmare, so who cares? Haha—"
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
"Hm? Who could that be?" Ethan hummed as he strolled to the door, still smiling. But when he opened it and saw who was standing outside, his entire face froze.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
"Okay… I didn't just see that. I must be hallucinating. Yeah, yeah, just my imagination! Definitely! Ha… haha…" He laughed nervously to himself.
Ding-dong!
The bell rang again.
"Oh no. First the mantis monster, and now the maid?! Don't tell me the nightmare's coming true! No, no, no! I refuse! I'm not living through that again!!" Ethan yelled, clutching his head.
At that moment, the door handle twisted—and a hand punched straight through the lock from the other side. Metal crumpled like tin foil.
"Ethan, what are you doing? Your maid's here to see you! Why didn't you open the door?" said Saitama casually, picking his nose as he strolled in.
Behind him stood Sayuriko—eyes sparkling, clearly overjoyed.
"Uh… wait. No cat ears? No cat tail?" Ethan blinked, finally noticing that Sayuriko looked… normal. He exhaled in relief.
"But… her chest's still totally flat. Don't tell me she is actually a cute boy?" Ethan thought, staring in horror. Then, without thinking, he reached out—
—and grabbed her chest.
After a second, he let go and sighed in relief. "Okay, it's flat, but that softness… that's definitely real. Thank god! She's not a boy after all!"
While Ethan was still basking in that "relief," both Saitama and Genos were giving him the kind of look reserved for absolute scumbags.
Sayuriko froze in shock, eyes wide. Then, realizing what had just happened, she jumped back, covering her chest with both hands.
"Eek!!"
"..."
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