Chapter 2
(Tokyo, Japan)
Shibata Kento sighed for the umpteenth time as he turned off the hairdryer. Two weeks' worth of hairstyling curriculum! He was about this close to tearing his own hair out, never mind to brush and curl some girl's hair!
"Shibata-kun, focus!" The instructor reprimanded him from across the dressing room.
"Hai… hai..." He replied sullenly, picking up a hair curler to continue his work. St. Lucia's butler training school was driving him crazy. Why did he have to be born into such a family anyway?
'I wonder how Onii-chan is doing in England.' Kento wondered to himself. Due to his upbringing, he knew that the butler training overseas was much stricter than in Japan. Only those who passed the International Butler Academy with highest qualifications could earn the coveted S-rank gold pin. In addition to normal household chores, the butler trainees were required to master several foreign languages, as well as a wide range of skills, such as sword-fighting, scuba-diving and even nursing. Kento simply could not imagine himself going through such a rigorous training.
(London, England)
"Ah-ah-ah, Rihito, always one step behind the Lady." The instructor corrected gently.
"Sorry, sir." Rihito took a step backwards. His training was tough, but Rihito was determined to do his best and redeem his family's honor. His father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather had all served the Hongo family for many generations. It was Rihito's duty to carry on the age-old tradition. Moreover, if Rihito was deemed worthy enough to be the next Hongo family butler, then his younger brother, Kento, would no longer be pressured to become a butler. All in all, Rihito was doing it for his family.
"Now, swish, swish, parry – Rihito, your Master or Mistress would be embarrassed by such poor techniques! Straighten your posture!" A loud holler disrupted Rihito's daydreaming.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." He hurriedly complied. 'I will do this, for my family. I must do this.'