Chibita sat on a stool by his breakfast bar, anxiously swinging his feet back and forth as they dangled in mid-air. The digital clock on his phone read "8:57 PM" in bold white letters. Ichimatsu would soon be arriving. After getting home from work at 8:00pm, he immediately began disrobing his apron and oden-stained work clothes from his body. After ensuring the completed laundry had remained by the door inside the large trash bag they originated from, Chibita rummaged through his own closet for a clean, Chiharu-worthy outfit. Eventually, he located a purple blouse and black midi skirt he got from a thrift store. After pairing those items with his kitten heels and sheer stockings, Chibita purposely did a half-assed makeup routine by only applying purple eye shadow and mauve lip-gloss. Once he added his wig to the equation, he made sure to place some leftover oden skewers and soup on the kitchen counter so that he had some type of dinner for his blackmailer.

For the past ten minutes, Chibita had sat upon that stool in anticipation for Ichimatsu's arrival. With Todomatsu's advice ringing in his mind, Chibita made a tough decision: he will tell Ichimatsu off tonight and then confess his secret to Karamatsu. Though he had practiced the things he'd say to both Matsunos in his head since earlier that evening, nervous nausea still discomforted his stomach.

"Calm down, idjit," Chibita whispered to himself in discipline and reassurance. Still, he squeaked in fear as two knocks made contact with his front door. After inhaling a large breath, he left his pedestal of safety and went to open the front door. As Chibita swung the door ajar, he let out a gasp as a strange brown creature jumped up on him and knocked him to the floor. As Chibita was contemplating whether the creature was some kind of threat, he felt a sloppy, warm tongue rub against his cheek.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Chibita manage to exclaim.

"JYUSHIMATSU," Ichimatsu said in a high and stern voice, "HEEL." As soon as the command was given, the creature backed away from Chibita's body and pranced next to Ichimatsu's side. Indeed, the creature was nothing more than Jyushimatsu dressed in a German shepherd dog suit.

"Yeck!" Chibita said in disgust at the realization, violently rubbing off the saliva saturated on his face. "Damn it, what's he doing here?"

Ichimatsu swung the end of Jyushimatsu's leash in his hand and patted Jyushimatsu's head, making his brother yip with glee. "He likes me to walk him before bed. I told him you wouldn't mind if he came along and stayed for dinner." He gave Chibita a testing glance and added, "You don't mind, do you?"

Chibita stood up from the hardwood floor and dusted off his outfit. "No, I guess."

"No what?" A hint of Ichimatsu's smirk surfaced.

Chibita let out a sigh, knowing he had to play along for a while before revealing his big decision to Ichimatsu. "No…Ichi-sama."

Ichimatsu gave a low chuckle as he ushered Jyushimatsu past Chibita and into the kitchen. "I thought so. Now, be a good maid and get that dinner ready for us, hmm?" He sat on one of the breakfast bar stools while Jyushimatsu leaned against the bar with his arms crossed and his tail wagging.

Stupid NEETs, Chibita thought to himself as he went to the counter and reheated the oden leftovers with the help of the stove. In seven minutes, the food had been plated and placed before Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu. Jyushimatsu didn't hesitate to eat; his whole face was submerged in the bowl, loudly slurping and munching the meal. Ichimatsu only examined at his meal, not even lifting a finger towards his utensils.

"What? Is it cold or something?" Chibita gazed into the oden bowl, looking for any unappetizing objects. Ichimatsu stretched his arms behind his head with a groan before turning his whole body to face Chibita.

"My hands are too tired from walking Jyushimatsu around. You'll have to feed me." Ichimatsu's sly smile slightly gaped open, exposing his bottom row of sharp teeth. Chibita felt his cheeks burn rouge from embarrassment at the unexpected request. However, Chibita obeyed and spooned a helping of soup into his mouth; as he continued to feed the purple-hooded Matsuno, he did his best to avoid looking at his half-lidded gaze, which sparkled in an unusually lively manner. When the soup took up only a fifth of the bowl, Ichimatsu motioned Chibita to stop.

"That'll be enough for me, Chiharu." Ichimatsu made sure to say the oden lover's alias in a kind yet maniacal tone. Sensing Ichimatsu's content aura, Chibita decided it was best to gear his plan into action. Using extra innocence in his female voice, Chibita propositioned Ichimatsu.

"Ichi-sama, there's something I want to tell you."

"Oh, do you?" Curiosity was in Ichimatsu's reply.

"Um…I think it'd be best to tell you while we're alone." Chibita eyed Jyushimatsu, who was now in the process of licking any last oden morsels off the borders of the bowl. Getting the hint, Ichimatsu looked over his shoulder and gave a sharp whistle, which immediately grabbed Jyushimatsu's attention.

"Jyushimatsu, I'm going to be staying here for awhile. You'll have to take the laundry and go home now." As Jyushimatsu began to whimper in despair, he added, "If you hurry, you'll be able to watch those baseball game reruns on TV that you love so much."

Jyushimatsu's whining ceased, and he suddenly stood up on his two feet again. With a dopey smile stretched underneath his dog nose mask, he ran to the hallway, grabbed the trash bag of clothes, and rushed through the front door. Chibita and Ichimatsu could hear him speed away down the road while chanting, "HUSTLE, HUSTLE! MUSCLE, MUSCLE!" A moment of silence passed between the remaining men in the home until Chibita gained enough bravery to speak.

"Listen, I have something to tell—"

"I already know what you're going to say." Ichimatsu stepped off the stool and stood tall in front of Chibita.

"Y-you know?"

"I do, and I want you to know I don't blame you for how you feel." Ichimatsu's voice was calm and sincere while his smile was wild and bewildering.

Chibita let out a relieved sigh and a nervous laugh. "Oh, thank God! You just made this a whole lot easier. I mean, you've been such an asshole to me so it's no surprise that I've made the decision to—"

"Is that what you like, maid? Me being a harsh, overbearing asshole?" Ichimatsu gave a low laugh and pinned Chibita against the breakfast bar with his arms resting on either side of the cross-dresser.

"Whoa, wait a minute, damn it!" Chibita was clearly frightened of Ichimatsu's sudden aggression. "I-I'm beginning to think you don't understand."

Ichimatsu was clearly ignoring his statement, too caught up in the tension he had created between them. Leaning his lips close to Chibita's ear, Ichimatsu whispered in a naughty tone, "Does my maid want to be her master's little masochist tonight?"

Chibita's whole face turned red. In a swift motion, Chibita ducked underneath Ichimatsu's arms and popped up on the other side of him. Walking backwards and extending his arms out to keep Ichimatsu at a distance, Chibita began to violently shake his head to deny Ichimatsu's offer.

"Idjit, that's not what I want! I wanted to tell you that I'm done with your crap, damn it! I'm going to go and tell Karamatsu the truth before this lie gets any deeper." Chibita's heart was banging against his ribcage, and his adrenaline was clearly heightened.

Ichimatsu turned to face Chibita again and took two steps forward. Placing his hands in his hoodie pocket, he scanned Chibita from bottom to top. His smile and sparkling eyes were replaced with his normal, half-interested expression. In a nonchalant voice, Ichimatsu stated, "He'll never accept you, Chibita."

"Huh?" Chibita's stance loosened up a bit and his cheeks became less heated with mortification.

"Shittymatsu would never accept you. I mean, have you even thought this situation out in full? He's always wanted Karamatsu girls, not men. You think he'll be happy to find out that his lucky star is nothing more than a scam? No, he'll be cursing and crying until his eyes are sore…Besides, it's not just your relationship at stake. Even if we've known another since we were kids, do you really think Karamatsu will want to preserve a friendship with someone who's deceived him so terribly?" Ichimatsu answered the question for Chibita by shaking his head in disagreement as he moved closer to a now frozen Chibita. "He'll do everything he can to forget about you. You'll be nothing to him."

"T-that's a lie! He wouldn't do…" Chibita's panic prevented the completion of his protest. What Ichimatsu said seemed to be the truth. He had lied to Karamatsu, and he knew this wasn't the first time he had gravely tricked the wannabe cool guy. Chibita's mind envisioned Karamatsu's saddened face shouting words of disgust and rage at him after hearing his secret. He imagined himself standing by his oden chart and being cursed at or blatantly ignored by Karamatsu for the rest of his life. The potential of losing his favorite Matsu's love and friendship pained Chibita beyond words. So consumed by his fearful thoughts, Chibita was shocked when Ichimatsu had come close enough to cup his chin gently in his hand. Raising Chibita's face to meet his glance, Ichimatsu stared harshly into the shorter male's now watering eyes.

"The longer you keep your mouth shut and the longer you obey my demands, the longer you get to have him." Ichimatsu used his thumb to wipe the single tear that had dripped down Chibita's cheek. Ichimatsu scanned Chibita once more and added, "Besides, I think our arrangement has been fated. After all, you're even wearing my favorite color tonight…Must be a sign, hm?"

Normally, Chibita would have dismissed Ichimatsu's implication and argued his clothes were a matter of conscience not admiration. Unfortunately, those haunted by the possibility of tragic love slowly become a shell of themselves. Thus, Chibita let a last row of tears stream out as he replied in melancholy, "Yes, Ichi-sama."

To Chibita's surprise, Ichimatsu wrapped him in a hug and stroked his back as if to reassure his newest person of interest. After a good few moments of a motionless Chibita laying his head on Ichimatsu's shoulder, Ichimatsu pulled away and rejuvenated his domineering, stern voice.

"Good…Now, you upset me with your outburst, Chiharu."

"I'm sorry, Ichi-sama." Chibita was too sad to even cringe at the traveling caress of Ichimatsu's fingertips against his back.

"I know you are, and I know how you can make it up to me." He took Chibita by the hand and led him towards the direction of the bed. He sat on the bed and beckoned Chibita to join his side. Chibita slowly obeyed, nervous for what Ichimatsu had in store.

"Sit up straight. Prop yourself up with pillows if you must."

As Chibita sullenly positioned a pillow between himself and the wall, Ichimatsu laid his head into Chibita's lap while lying on his back. Staring up at his maid, Ichimatsu firmly demanded, "Pet me."

"W-what?"

"PET. ME." Ichimatsu's eyes grew cold with annoyance.

"W-where?" Chibita lightly asked, not wishing to deal with an upset Ichimatsu along with his other problems spinning in his head.

"Wherever you think is best, maid." Ichimatsu's smirk returned as he watched Chibita move his hand onto his hair. As Chibita awkwardly stroked the strands of his blackmailer's hair between his fingers, Ichimatsu closed his eyes and let out bouts of soft, peaceful purrs. Chibita raised his eyes to the moon peering in on them through his small apartment windows. Even with mewling Ichimatsu's cuddly nature warming Chibita's lap and the sky shimmering with a godly amount of stars, nothing in this reality seemed hopeful to Chibita.