Right... This is getting suspicious.
That's three girls now.
Nao. Reina. And Arisa.
All of them, at different times, have called me a "rascal."
What is this? Some secret code? A cult?
Are they all secretly into teasing broke dudes with anxiety?
But Either way no matter what cult they were in, my job was clear:
Clean the damn apartment.
Which, by the way, was an absolute warzone. We're talking makeup scattered across the dining table, magazines piled like Tetris blocks, bras hanging off the ceiling fan, and lingerie that could make it into most 18-plus films just casually chilling on the couch like it pays rent.
"Goddammit, Nao… 'bathroom upstairs, somewhere' so helpful," I muttered whilst holding a mysterious red bra like I was defusing a bomb.
As I stood in the middle of the chaos, unsure if I was cleaning or being cursed, before an actual cursed voice called out from above.
"Heeey, Souta~" Arisa's voice floated down like silk. It wasn't loud… But damn was it dangerous.
I looked up. There she was, leaning over the balcony with her god given watermelons looking right at me, in a loose nightgown that said "Don't look… While clearly meaning "Do look."
"What'cha lookin' for?" She stared before her eyes narrowed. "Ooooh~" Her smirk widened as she saw what I was barely holding onto in the tips of my fingers. "Didn't expect you to be so bold, holding my bra like that."
I blinked. Looked down.
Yep. Still holding it. And sheee's just confirmed it's hers.
"I-I-I swear I thought it was laundry! I didn't know it was yours!" I panicked, tossing it like it burned me.
She laughed softly and descended the stairs, grace in every step. Those "grown-up" pyjamas weren't helping my focus either. I tried my best to cast my eyes off her, but nothing was helping.
"DAMN YOU OVERPOWERED PJ'S!"
"Relax," she said, picking it back up and placing it neatly into my hand. "It's sweaty. I forgot to wash it. Do your job… Mr Maid."
Oh my god… Was that... Was that harassment?
And why did I kinda like it?
"I'm not going to survive this."
"Y-Yes ma'am," I said, praying Yuki wasn't lurking with a death scythe behind a door. Eventually, after completely going away from the directions Nao gave me, I found the laundry room hidden next to the kitchen. Who hides a washer like it's a treasure chest?
"Must be rich people stuff", I thought, getting started on the cleaning.
Twenty minutes later, I was done.
With the first task
Bra washed. First Job done. First victory secured.
I turned around with a small smirk growing on my face.
"Arisa should be praising me for this little victory."
Instead of praise, though…
"AAAHHHHHH!"
Her scream exploded through the apartment like a horror movie. I shot my eyes straight to were the sound was coming from, fully expecting it to be Yuki getting ready to accuse me of something that is borderline criminal.
But thankfully, it was just Arisa slamming a textbook against the glass table again and again, like the thing was made out of steel.
"STUPID! DUMB! STUPID MATH!" She shouted in frustration.
I crept closer, making sure to be careful when poking a bear. "Uhh… you okay?"
Tears welled in her eyes as she shoved a worksheet toward me.
"Eight squared… divided by two. Th-this super hard problem! It's ruining my life! How can i ever go living a normal life when this exists."
"…"
I stared at it, taking in the question making sure that i wasen't just being stupid.
"…It's 32."
She blinked. "Wait. What?! How?"
"Well," I said, taking a seat next to her, trying not to look at the way her shoulder pressed against mine, "8 squared is 64. Divide by 2 equals 32."
Her eyes lit up like I just told her she won the lottery.
"You're amazing, Souta!" She shouted, face close to mine, smiling like I just solved world peace.
"Um. Big Chest. Close. Brain melting," I thought, freezing in place.
Just then, as if god himself came down to defy everything.
"WRONG!"
A voice from above. Sharp. Stern.
And of course it was Yuki.
Her tone blared out and could shatter windows.
"8 squared is 72! Don't give him credit! He's stupid, and he's trying to get you more dumber than you are!"
Arisa raised an eyebrow as it slightly twitched. "You sure calling him and me stupid? Google disagrees."
We both looked at each other, then up at her. Yuki hesitated for a moment before she quickly turned around and pulled out her phone, and after a second later we heard her mumble "Shit" before turning back around.
"W-Well… I was just… Testing you! Obviously, I know basic math. I'm not dumb. It was a test yeah" She said reassuring herself
We replied in unison: "Riiight."
Yuki flushed red, clearly embarrassed. "JERK!, She shouted before turning and storming downstairs.
SLAM.
Bathroom door.
"…Well, that was interesting," Arisa said, finally exhaling.
"Yeah," I nodded, "you could say that."
After about twenty minutes of Arisa brutally losing to math like it owed her money, my brain needed a breather.
That's when.
"Souta!!! Can you cook!?"
The door slammed open like a storm warning as Nao bounced down the stairs, eyes shining like I was a Michelin-star chef.
I looked up from the couch, dead inside.
"Can't you just make cup ramen like a normal person?" I wanted to ask.
But her face? Way too cute. It was as if she knew I was a man who couldn't say no to a girl with a cute face.
I stood, puffing my chest like I was transforming into Gordon Ramsay with anime hair.
"YESS! DON'T YOU WORRY! I SHALL MAKE… OMELETTE RICE!!"
"OHHH YESSS!!" Nao jumped, fists in the air. "Souta's the beeeeest!"
Arisa chuckled from the couch, stretching slowly. My eyes moved entirely by accident toward her midriff. Gravity was working overtime on that yawn.
"Guess it's break time," she said casually, catching my wandering eyes with a knowing smirk.
I fake coughed and darted to the kitchen.
"WELL THEN. TO THE FRIDGE!"
Nao followed me like a loyal puppy before her face frowned. "Um… You might wanna-"
I opened it.
Empty.
One slice of bread.
A half-full bottle of orange juice.
A suspiciously expired matcha drink.
A lonely can of energy drink.
And... a sock?
"What the actual-"
"Ehehehe… sorry Souta~," Nao scratched her cheek.
"Why did I expect anything else?"
I shut the fridge with the dramatic flair of a man who knew defeat well.
"Well, guess we're going shopping."
Nao was bouncing like a toddler on caffeine. Well, well.
"Let's gooooooo get ingredients! Grocery time!"
Just as I grabbed my hoodie, a new voice chimed in from the couch.
"I'll come too."
I turned.
Arisa was already sliding on her coat, her smirk in full play mode.
"Can't trust you not to come back with nothing but instant ramen and canned coffee."
I raised a brow.
"You doubting the culinary instincts of a man with a sister who can't cook herself?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
I sighed. "Fine, but you're carrying the heavier bags."
As we put on our shoes, I took one more glance back at the apartment, and there was a good reason for it. I felt this weird feeling.
Like I was being watched.
Meanwhile…
Back in the apartment, behind a poorly shut door, two pairs of eyes glowed with suspicion.
"Operation Grocery Spy… Commence!" Nao whispered, sliding on sunglasses she definitely didn't need indoors or during the dark night.
Reina looked mildly concerned. "...This feels illegal. Why do this?"
"Not if we're cute about it."
They peeked through the door just as Arisa and I
turned the corner.
Nao squinted.
"...They're walking pretty close."
Reina said nothing, but her fingers curled slightly into her sleeves.
Our walk was supposed to be short.
But when the girl walking beside you is wearing too-grown-for-her-own-good pyjamas under an open coat… It suddenly feels like a damn odyssey.
We strolled under the soft orange glow of the streetlights. The store was ahead, its signage glowing like a mirage of salvation.
Then she broke the silence.
"So, Souta," Arisa said, her gaze tilting toward the sky, then back to me. "Why did you take this job?"
I scratched the back of my head, and for a moment I thought about lying and saying "Ohhh, I want to work with you girls and really learn how to be a proper maid, but let's be honest, who's gonna fall for that.
"Honestly? The money."
She narrowed her eyes and smirked.
"Let me guess. To buy magazines?"
My eyes widened. "W-What?! No! I mean-
She burst into laughter. "You're such a perv, seriously. I meant gaming or manga ones, but now I'm suspicious."
My soul left my body.
"You can't be doing that, Arisa", I muttered, slightly hiding my face from the embarrassment.
Behind us, in the shadows…
"Reina," Nao whispered as she crouched low behind a mailbox, "do you think this counts as a mini date?"
Reina crouched beside her, eyes narrowed like a sniper on a mission.
"Arisa doesn't go on dates easily, especially with a guy like him. She's watching him, testing him."
"Ohhh, so she's the calculating type~" Nao whispered with a grin.
Reina didn't respond, but her eyes didn't leave the two walking ahead.
Back in the land of groceries…
We turned a corner and Arisa stepped on a loose stone in the sidewalk. Her slipper slipped and-
"W-Whoa-!"
She tripped forward, and I reacted on pure reflex.
She landed on me.
Correction: on my arm.
Double correction: on my hand.
On her chest.
Soft. Warm. Two sensations that shouldn't be under my palm at this moment.
I froze like a statue caught mid-sin.
"U-uhhh-"
Arisa looked up, face an inch from mine, strands of her hair brushing my cheek.
Then she blinked. Then smirked.
"Well, well, Souta," she said sweetly, "if you wanted to hold them, you could've just asked."
I leapt backwards like she was on fire.
"SORRY! I SWEAR! I DIDN'T MEAN-YOU SLIPPED-AND I-"
I was totally ready for her to hit me with an uppercut straight out of Street Fighter, but instead, a small chuckle came out of her; her laughter could've melted glaciers.
"You're kinda cute when you panic."
"Thank you, Lord, for saving me from public shame!" I shouted to my self
We finally reached the store, which, after the whole holding double D's incident, felt longer than it should have.
Inside, Arisa made a beeline to the milk section. "I'll grab milk!"
I frowned. "You have milk."
"Ohhh… Right. Oops. Hehehe." She giggled.
I muttered, "I can't imagine you being responsible… And it was you meant to be the one telling me to be careful about what to buy…"
We grabbed eggs, oil, and seasoning. Everything was going smoothly, but of course, there was the until…
"Oh no," Arisa muttered as we stood getting ready to join the queue
I turned my eyes wide. "Don't say it."
"I forgot my wallet."
"YOU WHAT?!"
I reached for my wallet instinctively, only to remember I left it on the table with my precious taxi yen.
"Fu-"
And then… I saw it.
A glint of blonde hair. A flash of a familiar hairpin peeking from the aisle end.
"Nao…" I muttered, storming toward the corner.
I turned it and found the Nao squatting behind a display of matcha drinks, Reina standing calmly beside her like a mannequin caught mid-theft.
"Uh…"
"We were doing… A grocery report!" Nao blurted, holding up a packet of seaweed like it was evidence in court.
Reina gave a slight bow. "We thought you might… Need backup."
Arisa peeked around the aisle, arms crossed.
"Well, well, stalkers. I thought I smelled curiosity."
Reina muttered to herself, "She knew."
Nao panicked. "Wait-you mean you forgot your wallet on purpose?!"
Arisa just winked.