After finishing my livestream with Eiri, I went downstairs because Miu was almost home. She had just sent me a message saying that Daiki had just picked her up from school.
I went to the kitchen and started preparing a few things because I had told her we'd watch a TV series together as soon as she got home. I started making guacamole and cheese dip, then took the large bag of chips out of the pantry.
I also made some fresh juice and even popcorn.
Just as I was almost finished, my mother walked into the kitchen.
"What's all this? Cheese dip, guacamole, chips, popcorn, soda, juice... Don't tell me you're going to eat all of this by yourself."
"I told Miu I'd prepare some snacks for us to eat while we watched something together. She should be home any minute now."
"Don't you think you prepared everything a little too early? She still needs to take a shower after she gets home. The popcorn will go stale."
Hearing my mother's words, I picked up the bowl of popcorn and handed it to her. It was a large bowl.
"Here, you can eat it while watching something in your room. You can have some juice too. I can reheat the cheese dip later."
My mother grabbed a handful of popcorn and took a bite.
"Hmm, you used butter. It tastes just like movie theater popcorn."
"I know how to make good popcorn."
Just then, someone walked into the kitchen. It was Miu. She was still wearing her school uniform and carrying her bag.
"Wow, you really prepared everything just like you promised."
Her eyes sparkled as she walked over to me and gave me a hug.
"*Cough... Cough... Cough...* You know I'm standing right here, don't you?" my mother said before putting another handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"Oh, sorry... I got a little carried away."
Miu quickly stepped away from me, her face flushed.
"It's fine."
My mother chuckled.
"Go take a shower, and afterward put your uniform in the laundry basket in your room. I'll wash it."
"You don't have to. I can wash it myself."
"I'm already going to wash Kyo's clothes today, so I'll wash your uniform and your clothes too."
"Kyo, you should wash your own clothes."
Miu looked at me.
"I told my mom to hire a maid, but she refused."
"I wouldn't feel comfortable having a stranger walking around the house and taking care of my things."
"I agree with your mother. Besides, it would be a waste of money," Miu said.
But just look at the size of this house...
Having a maid would be great.
Besides, my mother is pregnant.
"Mom, you're pregnant. You know you shouldn't be doing housework. I work almost all day, and Miu can't help because she has school and also has to write."
"Kyo, we've already talked about this..."
My mother looked at me disapprovingly.
Then I said,
"We're hiring a maid. I'll ask Rina to find someone suitable."
"...I already said—"
My mother was about to say something, but I cut her off.
"I've already made up my mind. Just listen to me this once. You need to take care of yourself."
My mother put another handful of popcorn into her mouth before leaving the kitchen.
Miu looked at me and said,
"I know you're trying to help, but you shouldn't..."
"Do you have time to take care of this huge mansion? Because I don't."
"..."
Miu was left speechless and let out a sigh.
"Well, I believe Rina will find a very good maid. Now I'm going to take a shower so we can watch that series together."
####
When the next day came, I woke up in the morning and got ready for the photoshoot I had scheduled with Eiri. It had been a long time since I'd seen her in person.
After I finished getting ready, I said goodbye to my mother and got into the car with Rina. My mother decided not to come with me today, and Rina said it wasn't a problem even though I was still a minor.
As soon as the car started moving, I began talking to Rina about the maid I wanted to hire.
"So suddenly?"
"You know my mother is pregnant, right? She can't keep taking care of the house. Miu and I don't have time to do it either. The house is too big."
"But will one maid really be enough?"
"To be honest, I don't want someone staying there all day. I want someone who comes two or three times a week to clean the house and do the laundry."
"Even so, it would be better to hire two or three people. The house is huge, and there's a lot of laundry to do."
"I think you're right. Please arrange that for me."
"I can do that. I have a friend who works for a cleaning company."
"Great."
After that conversation, I picked up my phone and saw that I had received a message from Asuna asking if I could attend the meeting with the principal today. I replied that I could be there at 4:00 PM, and she said that time was perfect.
Soon, we finally arrived at the location where the photoshoot would take place.
It was in downtown Tokyo, on a small street that had been closed off.
The place didn't seem like the most suitable location for a photoshoot, but who was I to question it?
I got out of the car, and people immediately began recognizing me and taking pictures. I waved at them before entering my mobile dressing room. I sat down to wait for the makeup artist when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"Kyo!!!"
The person who entered my dressing room was Eiri. She closed the door behind her, walked over to my chair, and placed her hands on my shoulders.
"Wow, you really are handsome, aren't you? You don't even need makeup."
"Thanks for the compliment... I guess."
"You don't seem very happy to see me."
"It's not that. I'm just a little sleepy."
"Hmm, I see. I thought maybe you weren't looking forward to doing this photoshoot with me. Don't worry—we're not taking any sexy photos. Your girlfriend won't get mad at you."
"Even if we had photos of us kissing, Miu wouldn't mind. She's mature enough to understand that this is my job."
"Hahaha, sure, sure."
Actually, I doubt that...
She would definitely get jealous.
####
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