It felt like time had stopped. The little girl was facing her parents' grave with teary eyes. They died in a tragic accident, leaving their daughter an orphan. Where would she go now? She was all alone now…
"Mahiru-chan, isn't it?"
The little girl turned back to see who was calling her. It was a man who was kindly smiling to her. He seemed like a nice person, Mahiru felt at ease with him.
"Yes...who are you?" she asked.
"We never met, but I knew your parents. I'm your uncle," he replied.
Mahiru looked at him, surprised. She didn't know any of her parents had siblings. So she still had family left after all. Her uncle then looked at her with a sad expression that seemed sincere.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he said.
The little girl felt tears falling on her cheeks and the man smiled softly as he extended his hand towards her.
"How about you come live with me? I'll take care of you," her uncle proposed.
Mahiru wiped her tears away. She was glad that she wasn't alone after all, that she still had a place to go. So she smiled brightly as she took the man's hand.
"Yes!"
Mahiru woke up with a jolt. She was heavily panting and her body felt sweaty. What a terrible dream.
The dream itself wasn't terrible, but knowing what happened next, it was awful. This man who claimed to be her uncle, which he might not even be, welcomed Mahiru into his house. Everything was fine at first, he was taking care of her like any adults would with a child. But then, things got worse. It began with him asking to take pictures of her, which Mahiru agreed. She didn't see anything wrong with that request at first. He kept telling her how beautiful she was, how pretty her hair and eyes were. It made Mahiru happy, until...he asked for pictures with less clothing. Mahiru didn't want to be rude to the man who was so kind to her, so she accepted, but then it began to escalate. She tried to say no, but as soon as she protested, that was when the nightmare started. She woke up chained in the basement in the dark, with the only light being the camera flash her uncle used to take pictures of her. She didn't know for how long she remained her prisoner, she couldn't know the time in that room with no clock or window. This solitude was what lead to Shinya's creation, someone who could protect her, because no one ever came to rescue her. Shinya killed her uncle and she was freed.
This event not only caused her to have a scar, it created a hole in her heart, an emptiness she was trying to fill with relics, objects from people who were dear to her, people who were dead. This way, she would never be alone again, but she won't have to risk trusting others again. She couldn't, no after what her uncle did to her.
But that was before she met Sumireko. For the first time, Mahiru wanted to be with someone, someone who was still alive. Being with Sumireko was enough to fill the hole in her heart. She was so kind to her, she offered her a place to stay and she was taking care of her.
Still, she couldn't help but be worried. Her uncle too seemed kind at first, he also offered her a new home and took care of her at first. What if Sumireko ended up becoming like him?
"That's enough, Mahiru."
A familiar voice had appeared in her mind.
"Shinya…"
"Sumireko isn't like that bastard," Shinya said.
"But what if…"
"If she was, she wouldn't have given you back the strap."
Mahiru instinctively rolled in her bed to look at her nightstand, where the strap was. She sat up and stretched her arms, and grabbed the strap. She looked intensely at it with a smile on her face. It may not be a relic, it was still an object that was precious to Mahiru.
"You're right. Hanabusa-san...gave it back to me. She's not...like him…"
Her heart suddenly started to race. She really liked Sumireko. She wanted to stay with her.
"And I want to stay with Sumireko too," Shinya said.
Mahiru placed the strap back on her nightstand and rose up from the bed. She had work to do. She was glad Shinya was there to comfort her when she had doubts. Sumireko wasn't like her uncle. She had to trust her. She had to overcome her lack of trust in others. Not everyone was like him. She removed her pyjama, a black bathrobe, and puts on her maid uniform. She really liked it, she always wanted to wear one. And it was thanks to Sumireko. She was really grateful to her to allow her to live with her and wear clothes she liked.
Mahiru glanced one last time at the strap and smiled, before she left the room, ready to work.
The silver haired girl was dusting some decorations in the corridor, happily humming. She liked doing this job. It was calm, it made her felt at ease. At first, she felt a little bit overwhelmed to live in such a big mansion. She felt like she didn't belong to such a place. But over time she got used to it, thanks to Sumireko. And the other maids seemed kind to her, they always helped her when she was in trouble.
"Isn't oujo-sama a little bit too close to that girl?"
Mahiru then stopped what she was doing. This voice, it sounded like one of the other maids working in the manor. Was she talking about Sumireko and...her? Curious, she headed for where the voice came from. It was coming from the kitchen. Multiple maids were there, so Mahiru remained hidden behind the wall.
"She's just being protective of Banba-san. Who wouldn't? She looks so helpless, one can't help but want to protect her," an old maid said.
"Still, isn't she a little bit too incompetent? Why would oujo-sama hire such a girl in the first place…" a middle aged maid commented.
"She's clearly into her. I always had a thought that oujo-sama was swinging in that way," a young maid said.
Mahiru felt her heart missing a beat. They were really talking about her. She felt uncomfortable with what they were saying. She always thought they were kind to her, so it was kind of painful to hear them say those things.
"Really? I wonder what her father would think of it. He probably wants grandkids after all," the old maid said.
"I'm not against it, but still, wouldn't it be a little bit weird? Oujo-sama should at least be interested into someone of her status," the middle-aged maid replied.
"I don't care as long as she doesn't get a better salary because of that," the young maid added.
Mahiru felt tears forming into her eyes. What she heard caused her pain. She didn't know how the other maids viewed her and her relationship with her that way. She didn't want to listen to it anymore. She walked away from the kitchen, not feeling as confident about her job, or Sumireko anymore.
As Sumireko was drinking her tea, Mahiru was doing her best to avoid her eyes. It was the time of the day the lady of the house was taking her daily tea, with a few pastries.
"Are you sure you don't want to have tea with me?" Sumireko asked.
"N-No...I'm just...your maid, I can't…"
"Um, if you say so."
Sumireko continued to drink her tea, while Mahiru felt more and more tormented by what she heard from the maids.
"Oujo-sama...do you want to have children?" Mahiru suddenly asked.
Her mistress looked like she was about to spit her tea out of surprise, but she managed to swallow it, keeping an elegant face. She put her cup on the table and looked at her maid with confusion.
"Uh? Where did that come from...Well, yes? Not now, but eventually maybe I would be interested, why?" Sumireko asked.
"Because...two girls can't...have children together," Mahiru mumbled nervously.
"Um, I know that, but why are you…?"
"Your father...is an important man. He probably wants...to have grandchildren, wouldn't he?"
"Well, we never really talked about that…"
"He...he wouldn't approve you being in love with another girl, right?"
Sumireko remained quiet for a moment, before she looked at Mahiru with a serious expression.
"Mahiru-san, I do not care what my father thinks about it. I love who I want to love."
"But...you're too good for someone...like me. You're an heiress, while I'm just...me. You could be with someone...better than me."
Sumireko didn't say anything for a few seconds, before showing a gaze with slightly threatening eyes..
"Who...who said that to you?" her mistress asked, a hint of frost in her voice.
Mahiru froze for a moment. Sumireko was kind of scary right now. If she told her about the other maids, the heiress might get mad at them. Mahiru didn't want that to happen, she wanted to avoid any troubles.
"No...no one...I was just thinking that...I'm not good enough for you…"
Mahiru noticed that Sumireko's cup was almost empty. She wanted to refill it, but when she raised the tea-pot, she dropped it by accident, spilling its contents onto the table. Feeling greatly ashamed of herself, Mahiru immediately started to wipe it with a tissue.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Mahiru shouted. "I'm so...clumsy...I'm not fit to be a maid. Someone like me...doesn't deserve to be with someone as great as you!"
Tears began to fall on Mahiru's cheeks. She was now sobbing, saddened upon the feeling she wasn't good enough for the girl she liked. She was afraid Sumireko might be mad at her. Her eyes were closed, too scared to look at her mistress.
Suddenly, she felt a hand gently stroking her cheeks, wiping her tears away. Mahiru dared to open her eyes, and they met Sumireko's face. There was no sign of anger on it, Sumireko was only looking at her with a kind expression and a soft smile on her lips.
"Mahiru-san, it is okay. I like you the way you are, I would not want to be with anyone else. You are good enough for me. And I am not as great as you think, I have many flaws. I...I feel connected to you. We are both similar in a way, both broken by life. So I think we were fated to meet, fated to fix ourselves together. We were meant to be with each other."
Even more tears were flowing on Mahiru's cheeks, but not from sadness. She was moved by Sumireko's words. She always thought that her mistress was so perfect, she had forgotten that Sumireko too had her own issues. Her struggle for power, her broken body, the assassination attempts she experienced as a child. She should have known that already. Both her and Sumireko were similar in a way, broken, but maybe it was true. Maybe they could fix each other. Maybe they were truly meant to be together.
As Sumireko continued to gently wipe her tears, Mahiru approached her and suddenly hugged her. Sumireko hugged her back, stroking her back fondly. They hugged for a while, sharing their warmth with each other. Mahiru felt so comforted by this embrace, it relieved her. She felt like she deserved Sumireko's love after all, and that she was allowed to love her back.
Mahiru was suddenly overtaken by an impulsion, a desire to be even closer to Sumireko, a need to be even more comforted. She broke the hug and looked at her mistress, before slowly closing the distance between her face and hers. Their lips then touched, and they shared a soft yet passionate kiss.
The kiss last for a while, Mahiru wanting to take her time to feel Sumireko's lips on hers. They felt so soft, so warm. They eventually broke the kiss and looked at each other, both blushing.
"Well, that was..pleasant. I was not expecting that though," Sumireko said.
"S-Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have…"
"No, it was fine. I liked that. I always wanted...to kiss you."
Sumireko blushed even more. Mahiru was surprised to see her looking so flustered, it was a rare sight. And it was somewhat cute.
"Does it mean...we're dating now?" Mahiru asked shyly.
"I suppose...if you do not mind, of course. I would want to be your girlfriend, because I love you, Mahiru-san."
The silver haired girl felt her heart racing.
"I...Me too! I want to be your girlfriend, oujo-sama."
"Then call me by my name. I want to hear you say my name."
Mahiru felt that she was blushing even more.
"Su...Sumireko...san. I….I love you too."
Sumireko blushed madly at this declaration. She looked quite happy.
"Then it is official, we are a couple. And I know what we should do next," Sumireko said.
"Um? What?" Mahiru asked.
Sumireko simply smiled as she grabbed Mahiru's hand, leading her somewhere.
"I have an announcement to make," Sumireko declared.
The three other maids suddenly stopped what they were doing, which was cleaning the dining room, to face their mistress with respect.
"What it is, oujo-sama?" the old maid asked.
As an answer, Sumireko took Mahiru's hand and drew her closer to her, putting her arm around her shoulders. This sudden physical made the silver haired girl's heart raced.
"I love Mahiru-san with all my heart, and we are dating."
Mahiru blushed with embarrassment. But a part of her was also happy about Sumireko's declaration of love. It meant she was unashamed of her feelings for her and that she was proud of their relationship. The maids looked shocked at first, but they immediately took a professional expression.
"If it's what your heart truly wants, then I'll support you," the old maid said.
"I wish you happiness together," the middle-aged maid replied.
"Congratulations. But our salary will stay the same, right?" the younger maid added.
Mahiru suddenly felt a warm feeling in her chest. The other maids were approving with Sumireko. Despite what they said earlier, they accepted them. Her mistress smiled with satisfaction as she walked away, still holding her girlfriend's hand.
"Have you seen Oujo-sama and Banba-san this morning? They were holding hands! How adorable!" the young maid said.
"Ah, young lovers, so pure and innocent. I wonder how things will evolve for them," the older maid commented
"Those two are meant to be together, I'm telling you. It will last," the middle-aged maid added.
Mahiru blushed as she walked near the laundry room, hearing the maids talking about her. She was glad they were so supportive of her relationship with Sumireko, but she was also quite embarrassed by their "fangirling" over them.
"Well, I believe it is best if they act this way rather than judging us, don't you think?" Sumireko said with a slight blush on her cheeks. "How about we have tea together?"
Mahiru would have usually refused, giving as an excuse that she was only her maid, but it wouldn't work anymore. Because she wasn't only her maid, she was now Sumireko's lover. A soft and happy smiled appeared on the silver haired girl's lips.
"Sure."