Shikime Natsu smiled, and then those pale golden eyes settled on Kushida Kikyou.
"Since Kikyou has already changed, let's start studying."
With that, Shikime Natsu dropped his gaze to the desk in front of him and stopped looking at her altogether. Kushida Kikyou simply froze where she stood.
That was it?
Straight into studying?
She had assumed this guy would use the whole "a maid who'll do anything" line to make her do something else first.
Still, since Shikime Natsu had said as much, Kushida Kikyou was hardly stupid enough to volunteer the question of what else he wanted her to do.
She clapped her hands together and put on her most obedient, adorable face, smiling sweetly at him.
"In that case, I'll be counting on Natsu from here on~"
Her voice was sugary enough to be coated in honey, and paired with that black-and-white maid outfit, she really did give off the air of a "personal maid."
Of course, wariness still lurked in those purple eyes. She was terrified he might spring something big on her.
Shikime Natsu nodded without saying anything more, laid her textbooks out on the desk, and looked over at her.
Kushida Kikyou didn't stand on ceremony either. She dragged her chair over and sat down beside him, leaving a gap of about one fist between them.
Not too close, not too far. Well—with only a fist of space, she could still make contact with him, since she was rather generously endowed in the chest department.
"So, which subject do we start with?" Shikime Natsu turned his head and asked her.
Kushida Kikyou thought about it, then let her gaze fall on the math textbook.
"Math, I guess."
"All right."
Hearing her request, he nodded and began to explain. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange magic that pulled your attention in whether you wanted it to or not.
As she listened, Kushida Kikyou found herself grudgingly impressed. This guy really was good at teaching.
And the truly bizarre part was that once he finished explaining something, she actually remembered it—firmly.
It felt less like the knowledge had been crammed into her skull and more like it had melted naturally into the way she thought. The kind of understanding you simply don't forget.
How on earth was he doing that?
Kushida Kikyou turned the question over while she listened.
But the longer she listened, the more her thoughts started drifting where she hadn't told them to go.
This guy had gone out of his way to make her go back and change into a maid outfit, and now she was sitting here wearing it—was he really just going to tutor her?
Kushida Kikyou wasn't naive enough to believe anything that innocent.
Shikime Natsu was definitely after something.
On the surface he genuinely seemed to be working through the problems with her, sure. But for all she knew, he had an ambush waiting somewhere down the line.
In short: don't let your guard down.
She warned herself of that, and then she began calculating.
If Shikime Natsu was willing to teach, then she'd seize the chance and wring every last drop of knowledge out of him in the shortest time possible.
That way, he'd never be able to hold tutoring over her head as leverage again.
The thought made her listen twice as hard. She even started raising questions on her own, trying to pry more out of him.
Shikime Natsu held nothing back. Whatever she asked, he answered—and with considerable patience at that.
The minutes ticked by.
Immersed in the ocean of knowledge, Kushida Kikyou managed to forget all those tangled thoughts, at least for a while.
But then, while she had her head down over the textbook, working to digest what he'd just explained—
She noticed something. At some point, the distance between her and this guy had shrunk considerably.
They were pressed together now. That part of her was flattening slightly against him. He'd definitely leaned in on purpose, hadn't he?
Her nerves snapped taut, and she instinctively started to shift away.
Except she quickly realized it wasn't Shikime Natsu who had leaned over. She was the one who had drifted into him.
Without noticing, she'd been tilting toward him to get a better look at the page.
Or maybe to hear his voice a little more clearly.
By the time it registered, the fabric across her chest had already relayed the sensation back to her—and the moment she remembered that night, heat flared in her chest like a small fire.
The whole feeling was unbearably wrong, and her cheeks turned faintly pink.
Kushida Kikyou tilted her face to the side and stole a glance at his expression.
She wanted to find some trace of it there—some sign that he was deliberately copping a feel.
But when she saw that serious face of his, she froze. When this guy was focused, when he wasn't pulling any of his nonsense, he was actually kind of handsome.
Her pulse picked up. Obviously that was because his room was too warm—Kushida Kikyou would never, under any circumstances, admit that looking at Shikime Natsu had made her heart skip.
A complicated feeling welled up in her, and she shoved it aside just as fast. This guy was clearly doing all of it on purpose, lowering her guard so he could work her like a puppet later.
Shikime Natsu was a venomous snake. When he'd strike with the fatal blow was anyone's guess.
A while longer passed before he closed the math textbook and turned his head to look at her.
"All right, that's enough for this subject."
He paused, then went on. "As for the rest, you should be fine if you review it on your own."
Kushida Kikyou nodded and quietly took stock.
This subject was in the bag.
As irritating as Shikime Natsu was, she had to admit it—that unforgettable way he taught was genuinely impressive.
In such a short span of time, she felt she'd gained more than in all her studying up to now.
Sakagami Kazunori really was hopeless at explaining things.
The thought surfaced before she could stop it.
"Then let's call it here for today." Shikime Natsu stood, stretched, and smiled at her. "We'll continue with the other subjects next time."
At that, Kushida Kikyou immediately produced a sweet smile, dipped her head slightly, and spoke in that syrupy voice of hers.
"Then thank you so much for today, Natsu~"
Her tone sounded utterly sincere, as though she were nothing more than a grateful student who'd just finished a lesson.
Shikime Natsu said nothing, only gave a small nod.
Kushida Kikyou began packing up. She stacked her textbook and notebook neatly back into her bag and pulled the zipper shut.
Once she'd finished, she didn't get up to leave.
She stayed in the chair on purpose, with no sign of any intention to go.
Hands resting properly on her knees, she sat there prim and straight, as if waiting for something.
Seeing her like that, Shikime Natsu smiled.
"Kikyou, you're not leaving yet?" There was a teasing edge to his voice. "Or is there something you haven't finished?"
She lifted her head, those purple eyes fixed straight on him, and gave him a sweet smile.
"Of course there's something I haven't finished."
She paused, then continued.
"I haven't performed my duties as a maid today. Since I already promised Natsu, I can't just leave it at empty words, can I?"
"At the very least, I should do the things a maid is supposed to do."
Kushida Kikyou didn't dare imagine what this guy would do to her if she simply walked out now.
Everything about today had been far too abnormal. If he'd asked her for a shoulder massage, she wouldn't have thought twice about it.
But all he'd done was make her change into the maid outfit and then say nothing at all. That was bizarre. There was something off about it.
Shikime Natsu blinked, then let out a soft laugh.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, a glint of amusement in those pale golden eyes. "So Kikyou remembered after all. I thought you were planning to bolt the second the lesson ended."
The smile on her face didn't waver in the slightest.
"How could I?" She tilted her head, playing the picture of innocence. "I always keep my promises."
Watching her stay so professionally in character, he didn't press further. He sat back down on the bed, crossed his legs, and looked at her.
"Well then, I'll leave it to Kikyou to properly perform her maid service."
Seeing that reaction, Kushida Kikyou felt a rush of relief. So he had considered the possibility of her walking straight out.
Good thing she hadn't done what he'd predicted. She stayed in her seat, waiting for this detestable guy to assign her something.
After all, there was plenty a maid could be told to do—cleaning, serving tea, massages, pounding his shoulders. Any of it was possible.
"Doesn't Kikyou know what a maid is supposed to do?" Shikime Natsu raised an eyebrow and looked at her as he spoke.
The corner of her mouth twitched, but she kept the sweet smile in place and answered.
"Of course I do."
She rose to her feet, those purple eyes sweeping across the room.
"Then I'll start with the table."
With that, she turned and headed for the kitchen.
She found a cloth, wet it, and began wiping down the living room table. Her movements were practiced—clearly she'd done this many times before.
Shikime Natsu watched her with a smile on his face, and though she felt his gaze on her, she kept working diligently.
Once the table was clean, no further instructions came. Was he planning to have her scrub the entire room?
She'd noticed something too: his room was remarkably tidy. Had some other girl come by to clean it?
Irritation churned inside her, especially with the sense that he was scheming something and she had no idea when he'd launch the attack.
"Is this all the all-purpose maid Kikyou mentioned actually does?"
He watched her with that half-smile, and under it Kushida Kikyou finally cracked. This guy was truly the worst.
So he was finally baring his fangs?
The vicious bastard!
An all-purpose maid. When she'd said those words, she'd said them with a certain suggestive edge, and of course Shikime Natsu had understood. Now he was the one bringing it up—and putting on an innocent face while he did it. Utterly punchable.
"Heh. So you couldn't hold back after all?"
The sweet smile dropped off her face in an instant. She tossed the broom aside, marched right up to him, and planted her hands on her hips, glaring down at him where he sat on the bed. Her purple eyes glittered with danger.
Faced with that sudden surge of pressure, Shikime Natsu didn't react at all. He only wore a faint smile.
"What is it Kikyou thinks I couldn't hold back? I only asked Kikyou to do what an all-purpose maid ought to do. I'd assume there's a difference between an all-purpose maid and a maid, wouldn't you?"
Her expression stayed frozen, disbelief filling her eyes.
It only confirmed her suspicions. Otherwise there was no way he would have made her change into the maid outfit specifically—he absolutely intended to make her do something shameful.
And she had no interest in playing guessing games. If he wouldn't say it, then she'd do it herself and tear that hypocritical mask right off his face.
With that thought, she shot out a hand and seized his wrist.
Then she pressed his hand flat against her chest.
Soft. Warm. The kind of sensation that struck straight through to the soul.
Her cheeks flushed faintly, but her eyes stayed locked on his.
"This is what you wanted all along, isn't it? Make me put on a maid outfit and then humiliate me thoroughly—just like that night."
____
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