Chapter 6

Mei pushed the top of her mechanical pencil continuously while gazing at her Japanese history textbook.

"Stop that, will you?. The sound annoys me." Rika glared at her friend.

"Sorry." Mei placed the pencil on the table and folded her hands below her chin.

"Is something wrong?" Fujiko asked.

"Nothing's wrong." Mei replied shortly.

"Well, you look kinda…"

"Disturbed." Rika cut off Fujiko's words.

"I was just thinking about birthday surprise for Rihito san tomorrow." Mei explained.

"How about cooking his favorite dish?" Fujiko winked.

"Do you have any idea about his favorite dish?" Rika added. Mei shrugged her head.

"I guess you should ask his little brother later." The slant-eye girl said before giving a big sigh.

"I'll help you with the preparation so come to my room tomorrow morning." Fujiko tapped Mei's right shoulder.

"Thank you so much girls." Mei replied happily.

"You said that you have something important to discuss with me so what is it?" Kento asked while fixing up the sleeve of his butler uniform.

"Err… do you know what's Rihito san's favorite dish?" Kento turned his gaze to his childhood friend and let out a heavy sigh.

"I can't believe you let me postpone my survival game with Kanzaki san just to ask that stupid question." He turned his back on her and started to walk back to the butler's school.

"Wait, Shibata!" Mei clutched the edge of his uniform sleeve.

"Japanese food." Kento muttered after a while.

"Would you be more specific?" Mei scratched her head.

"Miso soup, white rice, grilled fish and some pickles."

"I thought you guys love Western food more than Japanese food."

"Well, it's true that our mom serves Western food most of the time and only when our grandfather paid a visit to our house we were able to eat Japanese food and Rihito once said he wishes that he could eat Japanese food more often." Kento explained while playing with the edge of his white collar.

"Thank you so much for your information, Shibata. I really appreciate it." Mei gave him a happy smile. Kento stretched out his right hand toward his childhood friend.

"What?" She gave him a confused look.

"I don't give information for free." He claimed.

"Fairy well." She complained then pulled out a package of medium size potato chips and handed it to him.

"Payment received." Kento smirked before tossing the so-called payment into his school bag.

"I remember you were about to throw up into my potato chips package during our school trip." Mei giggled.

"Shut up!, I don't use bus often so it's just unavoidable." He grunted.

"I can't believe it's almost ten years since our elementary school graduation." She stared at her surroundings. It's already half past six and she could see the fountain at the center of the park lighted up in blue.

"Time really flies." Kento replied.

"I miss our friends sometimes. I wonder if they're doing fine." Mei said as she stared at the blue sky above.

"I guess so. Anyway you should go back before…" Both of Kento's eyes were widened in fear and he stopped talking. Mei turned back and gasped when she found a taller figure behind her.

"Rihito san!"

"Good afternoon, Mei sama. I picked you up at Natsume sama's room but she said that you left an hour ago so I was searching for you because dinner is prepared." Rihito bowed at his mistress.

"I'm sorry, I should have informed you earlier." Mei bit her lower lip.

"Let's go back to the dormitory." Rihito took her right hand.

"For your information I didn't harm your mistress, straight-jacketed butler!" Kento snapped at his brother. Rihito stopped walking and turned his gaze at the younger butler in front of him.

"W-What d-do you want?" Kento asked nervously.

"A straight-jacketed butler is far better than a perverted butler like you." Rihito gave his little brother a death glare before leaving the place.

"Rihito san, are you mad at me?" Mei asked while hugging her sheep shaped body pillow.

"Would you be kind to tell me what make you think so?" Rihito replied while drying his hands with a tiny white towel.

"Well, I was just guessing." She turned her gaze away clumsily.

"Good night, Mei sama." Rihito said as he opened his room door.

"Good night, Rihito san." She replied sadly because it seemed like he forgot his duty to give her a goodnight kiss.

"Oh!, I think I forgot something." He said while walking toward her. Mei noticed her heart leaped with joy when Rihito tilted her chin up. She closed her eyes when he crushed his lips on hers. She finally realized that it wasn't the usual soft kiss. It was more powerful than any kisses they have shared in the past.

She gasped and he took it as the chance to slip his tongue inside her mouth as he begun to explore her pink muscles beyond. Rihito pushed his mistress and she fell on her back at her bed. He finally broke the kiss when he felt her small hands pounding weakly at his chest asking for a fresh air.

"I-I'm sorry…" She said between her pants. He buried his head at the crook of her neck and smelled her scent. Then he raised both of her hands above her head and locked them with his.

"You told me that you'll be practicing cooking with Natsume sama but you were meeting Kento instead. Why did you lie to me?" He stared at her with his dark orbs. She noticed anguish in his tone.

"I didn't mean to lie at you it's just..." She cut off her own words since she didn't want him to know that she was preparing for his birthday surprise. Rihito kept staring at his mistress. After a moment that seemed like forever he started to undo two buttons of her yellow pajamas.

"R-Rihito san…." She called him nervously. He ignored her and started to lick her jaw which made her shivered.

"I'm sorry, Rihito san. I….aaah!" She let out a big moan when he nibbled on her neck.

"I just wish I could announce to the world that you are mine body and soul but it is prohibited here." He moved his mouth to her shoulder and sucked some amount of flesh there.

"P-please forgive me, Rihito san…" She pleaded.

"I trust you with all my heart so would you do me a favor of not betraying my trust?" He whispered at her ear before he placed a soft kiss on her lips. He broke the kiss, closed the buttons of her pajamas and covered her body with the thick blanket before walking back toward his bedroom. Mei bit her lower lip to prevent herself from crying. However, her eyes failed her as several drops of tears began to wet her cheeks. She cursed herself from being incapable of showing her affection without causing misunderstanding.

"Let's get started." Mei flipped her sleeves up.

"Are you sure you want to do it here?. We can use the bigger kitchen in my dormitory though." Fujiko said while placing two plastic bags filled with food materials.

"It's easier to set up the dishes here and Rihito san won't be back until dinner time because he has to clean the cafeteria with the other butlers." Mei took out a tofu from the package and started to cut it with a kitchen knife on the cutting board.

"Is everything alright, Mei?" Fujiko asked kindly while looking at the smaller figure beside her. Mei knew that she will never be able to hide her worries from Fujiko so she decided to be honest.

"Fujiko, would you tell me what true love is?" Mei placed the knife on the cutting board and gave an empty gaze at her tofu.

"I think you already have the answer inside you." Fujiko smiled as she washed the spring onion.

"Do you think I'm making the right choice?" Mei continued.

"I believe that no one except you knows the right choice." Fujiko answered as she started to cut the spring onion.

"But the oily prince said that it was Kento whom I love." Mei bit her lip.

"Then why did you cry as if tomorrow never comes when you had a fight with Rihito san before the battle with Shinobu sama?" Mei fell in silence.

"Mei, we've been gaining one good thing through losing another and we just can't avoid that." Fujiko patted her friend's head.

"Do you think that Rihito san loves me?"

"Well, you should ask yourself while looking at that." Fujiko pointed at the red mark on Mei's shoulder. Mei hastily covered the spot with her handkerchief and blushed like crazy.

Meanwhile, the butlers except Kanzaki were busy mopping the cafeteria floor.

"It's your fault, red hair. If only you would be careful not to break the headmaster's favorite vase I would have taken a long nap at this hour!" Aoyama scolded the red hair butler beside him.

"I'm sorry, Aoyama san. Clarisse forced me to take the vase to her room because she wants to draw it as her homework for the art class." Leon replied while squeezing the head of his mop.

"Speaking of Miss Clarisse, you two really make a good couple." Daimon added.

"For your information we are NOT a couple." Leon protested hastily.

"I bet you'll be having a hard time when the time comes to let go of her." Nezu said before letting out a heavy sigh.

"What are you talking about?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on!, don't make me explain. I'm talking about the doom day for butlers."

"Do you mean the wedding day of our mistress?" Kiba asked.

"I wonder…(sobs)…how…(sobs)…I'm going to spend the rest of my life without….(sobs)…Miruku sama by my…(sobs) side" The ex-army butler started to cry.

"You should be happy for your mistress, Daimon san." Kiba handed the muscular butler his handkerchief and he blew his nose right away.

"What will you do if you were in his shoes, Kiba chan?" Nezu asked while blowing out a smoke from his mouth.

"Nezu san!, you shouldn't smoke here!" Aoyama quickly grabbed the tobacco from his senior butler and ran to the nearest ashtray to dump it. Nezu clucked as he gave an unsatisfied gaze at Aoyama.

"Of course I will be happy for Izumi sama because I'm his butler and a butler wishes for the happiness of his mistress." Kiba answered with a big smile on his face. The rest of butlers fell in silence.

"I see. So how about you, Shibata?. I guess all of the butlers here would like to know how the great S rank butler behaves in that kind of situation, right guys?" Nezu turned his look to his comrades.

"Sounds interesting." Kanzaki said while fixing his glasses.

"I'm curious about that." Leon added as he played with his mop.

"Me…(sobs)…too..(sobs)" Daimon said between his sobs. Rihito tossed his mop into the bucket and stared at the ceiling.

"I'll kidnap her and we'll spend the rest of our life in foreign country." He answered with confidence. Leon dropped the dust cloth he has been holding to the floor, Daimon's jaw dropped, Kanzaki accidentally kicked the empty bucket beside him while Aoyama and Kiba stared at Rihito with disbelief.

"Awesome!" Daimon shook Rihito's right hand.

"You and Shinonome sama can count on me because I'm your supporter." Kiba added.

"I'll be willing to help you with the new passports." Kanzaki smirked.

"I'll contact some of my relatives in the neighboring countries to provide you and Mei with a place for living." Leon threw his dust cloth to the bucket.

"And I'll get you updated whenever Kintaro and his comrades make a move to search for you guys." Nezu gave a wink.

"I'll help to conduct your secret wedding ceremony." Aoyama said.

"Thank you, gentlemen." Rihito smiled at his loyal comrades.

"Welcome home!" Rihito nearly jumped out of surprise when his mistress greeted him.

"M-Mei sama…" He stared at his mistress who was dressed in maid uniform.

"Dinner is served." Mei pulled both of Rihito's hands and led him to a chair in front of the dining table. Rihito stared at the dishes served at the dining table. Grilled salmon, tofu miso soup, white rice, radish salad with sesame dressing, cucumber pickles and a glass of ice green tea.

"Did you make all of these?" He asked his mistress.

"Yes, with a help of Fujiko of course." Mei smiled proudly. Rihito replied with his best smile and folded his hands into a praying form. Mei could feel her heart beats faster than usual.

"Itadakimasu." He said as he took the grilled salmon with his chopsticks and brought it to his mouth. Mei bit her lips nervously, her hands clutching the edge of her maid uniform.

"It's delicious!" Rihito said cheerfully. Mei gave a relief sigh before smiling at him again.

"Happy birthday and please make a wish." She placed a decorated sponge cake with several candles in front of him. Rihito closed his eyes then blew out the candles.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to buy your birthday present." Mei said while cutting the birthday cake and put a healthy amount of it into two plates.

"The dishes are the best birthday gifts I've ever got. Thank you." Rihito leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I'm glad that you like it." Mei said as she turned her glance away from him. She could feel her cheek that he kissed burning.

"Mei sama, I'm sorry for what I said and done yesterday." Rihito said in a low voice.

"It's okay. I'm the one who started it." She replied while munching the sponge cake.

"Anyway, you have some whipped cream on your face." Rihito pointed at her face.

"Where?" Mei started to wipe her cheek with a paper napkin.

"Here, let me do it for you." Rihito leaned forward and lick her upper lip. He moved back to his chair and stared at her with a satisfied look while licking the surrounding of his lips.

"R-Rihito san…" Mei flushed like a well ripened tomato.

"It's okay, Mei sama. I'm not going to eat you I mean not now but later on." he gave her his evil smile.

"You're scary." Mei chuckled.

"It's because you're tempting me with your appearance." Rihito stood up from his chair and took Mei's right hand. He caressed her locks then undid her hair band so it limply fell onto the floor.

"I've told you that I'm the person who saves his favorite part for last in the past, right?" He asked while hugging her waist.

"Yes, I do remember that." She placed her hands on both of his shoulder and leaned on his well toned chest.

"Since today is my birthday I'd like to take it tonight." He smirked.

"What an impatient butler." She giggled.

"That's because you forgot my birthday present." He pinched her nose.

"I'm all yours for tonight, master." She whispered to his ear in a lustful tone. He smiled at her as he locked his lips with hers in a long and tempting kiss.

To Be Continued