Disclaimer: I own none of the Utapri characters as they are owned by Broccoli

It Will Start Moving Someday

Once Haruka had composed herself, Masato led her to where she would be staying as she worked for him. Initially, she had resisted the idea of staying in the palace since it was so much nicer than she could ever afford. However, Masato reassured her that it was fine since she would be sharing a room with another servant.

Jii, Masato's butler was very vocal about not liking the idea, though Masato explained that it wasn't permanent and she could leave once her debt was paid off.

"You'll start tomorrow. So get some rest," Masato said as he opened the door to her room.

It was a simple room with two beds and a small table in the middle. There was a single dresser with a mirror along the wall next to a viewing window with curtains hanging delicately in front of it. A fairly large wardrobe sat along the wall across the dresser.

Despite it being a servant's quarters, Haruka had to admit it still looked very nice compared to rooms she's seen in some of the inns.

"Make yourself at home," Masato said.

"Okay, thank you," Haruka replied with a nod.

Without another word, Masato stepped out and closed the door, giving her some time to herself.

She walked over to the bed and laid down. Staring up at the ceiling, Haruka wondered what was going to happen to her. Could she trust Masato? Would he stay true to his word? Is it really okay for her to be here?

Not too long after Masato had left, the door suddenly opened.

Haruka quickly sat up to see a woman around her age with long, bushy red hair and vibrant red-violet eyes walk in.

"Ah, so you're the new servant I was informed about."

"A-Ah, yes! I'm Haruka Nanami." Haruka said as she scrambled to her feet and bowed courteously.

The woman laughed. "No need to be so formal. We're both servants after all. My name is Tomochika."

Haruka gave her a nervous smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"From this point on looks like we'll be roommates," Tomochika said. "But I have to say, you sure know how to make a good first impression."

"Huh?"

A small, mischievous grin formed on Tomochika's face.

"You know, shouting at the prince that you don't want to become his mistress."

Haruka's face immediately lit up in embarrassment before hanging her head. "Y-You heard that…?"

"It was a little hard not to. Those hallways echo pretty well," Tomochika said with a giggle.

"I see…"

"Aw don't make such a face. I would be pretty freaked out too if some random guy took me to his place," Tomochika said.

She came over to Haruka's side and patted her on the head.

Haruka looked up at her in surprise as the young woman gave her a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to worry so much. I'm sure whatever the prince has in store for you it won't be terrible. Besides, if anyone gives you any trouble, I'll be there to help you out in a pinch!"

Her words caused a light blush to appear on Haruka's cheeks. She never had anyone say that to her other than her grandmother. This was the first time that someone was offering to be friends with her.

"Thank you…" Haruka said with a warm smile.

"There you go. You finally smiled," Tomochika said, offering her a smile in return.

There was a knock at the door, causing Haruka and Tomochika to look up.

"Come in!"

A maid entered. "Miss Tomochika, dinner is starting soon."

"Yes," Tomochika said before she turned back to Haruka. "I have to go help serve dinner. We can talk more tonight once my duties are finished."

Haruka nodded as Tomochika followed the other maid out the door.

She was once again left in her room by herself. Despite being overwhelmed by the whole situation, she was more curious about what was going on in the palace. It would be interesting to go exploring, but if she were to go walking around there would be no doubt she'd get lost.

Instead, she decided to lay down on the bed and rest. As she laid there, she felt her eyes get heavy and within moments was fast asleep.

Everything hurt. Her breath was heavy and she was breaking out into sweat as snow descended upon the ground. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get somewhere so she kept walking despite the pain.

It was cold and she felt her senses start to numb. She soon fell to the ground in exhaustion. Despite trying to get back up, she couldn't.

'I have to get there…I have to get there…'

She didn't understand. Where did she have to go to so badly?

Suddenly, she felt her body being lifted up. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell that whoever was carrying her was strong and warm.

Who is this…?

Using what was left of her strength, she opened her eyes to see her savior. However, her view was obscured by the darkness and snow and could not make out who it was.

"It's all right…" the person said in a gentle, warm voice. "…I'll help you get there."

"Haruka, wake up~"

Haruka reluctantly opened her eyes upon hearing her name.

She glanced over to see Tomochika standing over her bedside. It took her a few moments to remember where she was. Once it clicked, she quickly sat up in bed in a frantic state.

"Am I late?!" Haruka cried.

Tomochika let out a sigh. "No, I just woke up not too long ago. Though it'd be best to get ready before you really are late."

"Uh, right," Haruka said as she slid out from underneath the blanket.

That was strange; she could have sworn that she fell asleep on top of the covers.

'Tomochika-san must have put it over me last night when she got back,' Haruka figured.

As she got herself ready for her first day, her mind drifted back to her dream. It was still fresh in her head and wondered who the person she saw was. Their face was blurred so she couldn't tell.

Who was that? And why do I feel like I've heard those words before?

Once Haruka was done getting dressed in her uniform, with a bit of help from Tomochika, she was lead to the prince's quarters.

"Your Highness, I brought Haruka," Tomochika said with a bow.

Masato glanced up from his paperwork and nodded. "Thank you. You may attend to your other duties now, Shibuya."

With another bow, Tomochika excused herself, leaving Masato and Haruka alone.

Finishing up the last few words to what he was writing, the prince stood up and walked over to Haruka.

"Since this is your first day, I'll introduce you to all the tasks you will be doing here along with showing you around the palace. It'll be up to you to remember how to get around."

Haruka nodded. "Okay.

Haruka spent the whole morning being shown around the palace. Though the prince was thorough in the tour, Haruka was still a little unsure if she would be able to find her way around. She was never good with directions and would constantly get lost. It was a miracle that she was even able to get to the capitol in the first place.

Throughout the tour, Masato and Haruka scarcely talked to each other. Their conversations were short and simple, not at all like her conversations with Tomochika. The only time that Masato would talk to her during the tour was when he was explaining the different rooms and their significance. The rest of the time was spent in silence.

She wished that she could strike up a longer conversation with him, but didn't know what to talk about. Their worlds were so different that she believed that he wouldn't find anything she could talk about interesting.

"Is something wrong?"

Haruka snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Masato looking down at her.

"H-Huh?"

"You had a troubled look on your face," Masato pointed out. "Did you find something to be disagreeable?"

"N-No! It's nothing! I was just thinking about how big the palace is that's all!" Haruka cried while waving her hands in front of her face.

"Hm…"

Haruka felt her nerves act up as Masato stared at her. His guarded gaze gave away nothing and Haruka wasn't sure if he bought her excuse or not.

"…In any case, I'll introduce you to your first job," Masato said as he turned away and started walking down another hallway.

"R-Right…" Haruka said rather awkwardly as she followed after him.

She mentally smacked herself. That was the perfect chance to try and ease the awkward silence between them but she had gone and clumsily ruined it. She was caught off guard and said what first came to mind.

Haruka sighed. What did she always have to be such a klutz...

Masato led her into the kitchen where a couple of maids were preparing some tea. Upon his entrance, the maids stopped what they were doing and bowed courteously.

"Good afternoon, your Highness."

Masato tipped his head in acknowledgement. "Takashiro, could you show Nanami how to prepare the tea and have her bring it to me in my quarters?"

A thin young woman blinked in surprise before she smiled and bowed. "Of course, your Highness."

The prince then slightly turned towards Haruka. "Listen to what Takashiro has to tell you and bring the tea to my office later. I have some important business to attend to about a meeting tomorrow."

"Ah, o-okay," Haruka stammered, still feeling slightly awkward around him.

Masato excused himself and hurried out of the room. Haruka wondered how busy he was. He seemed to always be moving and preoccupied with something. It must be tiresome.

"Alright, Nanami-san, shall we get started?" Takashiro asked.

Haruka paid close attention to Takashiro's instructions as she took her step-by-step on how to prepare the tea. If she was going to do this until her debt was paid, she had to make sure she didn't make any useless mistakes.

Once the tea was done, Haruka took the tea tray and made her way to Masato's quarters.

"So his quarters should be over here…" Haruka mumbled to herself as she glanced down the long hallway. "…I think."

All the hallways looked the same and Haruka couldn't tell if she had walked down one of the hallways before. Somehow she knew this would happen. It would definitely take some time before she would be able to find her way around the palace without any difficulties.

Maybe she should ask for someone's help...

As she hurried around a corner, Haruka accidentally slammed into someone, spilling the tea all over the person.

"GAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Haruka let out a gasp as the man looked down at his sullied clothes in horror.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Haruka cried with an apologetic bow. Thankfully the tea was not hot since it had time to cool while she tried to find her way around the palace.

"You insolent commoner! How dare you tarnish my suit! This is made from the finest silk in the whole Kingdom!" the man spat furiously.

Haruka shrank back from the hostility in his voice as he narrowed his eyes.

"I should have you arrested for such atrocities!"

"N-No! Please I-"

"Hey, hey, no need to go that far, right?"

Haruka glanced over to see another young man with messy red hair and cheerful smile on his face. However, the most distinguishable feature about him was two small, furry ears on the top of his head.

A dog…?

He walked over to her side and faced the other man.

"It was an accident. Besides no one got hurt, right?"

The angered man scoffed. "If you are trying to gain my sympathy, forget it! I want compensation!"

"Erm…" the redhead mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head in exasperation. "What exactly do you want?"

The man paused to think, furrowing his brow in the process. He glanced from Haruka to the redhead before a smirk etched across his lips.

Haruka swallowed nervously before the man pointed dramatically at the other redhead.

"From this point on, you will be my personal servant!"

"Eh?" Both Haruka and the other redhead said blankly.

The man grinned triumphantly as if he had thought of something ingenious. "Whenever I am at the palace, you will cater to my every whim no matter what the order. Got it?"

"Uh…"

"Hmph, then it is settled," The man said with a content grin before he shot a look at Haruka. "This ordeal can be overlooked for now, but if something like this happens again, I won't be so forgiving."

"Y-Yes, sir."

With that, the man turned on his heel and walked down the hall to the nearest washroom, grumbling about commoners.

"He was being forgiving…?" the redhead said with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm so sorry!" Haruka said as she bowed. "I have to pay you back somehow."

"Nah, it's fine."

"But…you're taking my punishment. You didn't do anything…"

The redhead grinned. "Don't worry about it. I mean, I didn't help you so I could get something in return. Besides, I doubt he would be at the palace that often, right?"

Haruka looked at the young man in front of her in surprise.

His response was completely different from Masato's, who told her she owed him and dragged her off to work for him in the palace.

"Anyways, my name is Otoya Ittoki," Otoya said as he stretched out his hand towards her.

"I'm Haruka Nanami. Pleased to meet you," Haruka said with a warm smile, returning his handshake.

A tint of red appeared on Otoya's cheeks before his boyish grin appeared back on his face.

Haruka quietly stared at him. Before Otoya could ask what was wrong, she reached up and took hold of the animal ears on the top of his head.

They were soft between her fingers and she gently rubbed the fur. While she had seen a bunch of people of the animal race, she had always wondered how their ears and tails felt. And now that the opportunity presented itself, she couldn't help herself. She had never been this close to one as far as she knew.

Otoya tensed as the soft blush on his face grew darker. "U-Um…"

"Ah! I'm sorry! I've never met someone from the animal race before," Haruka explained, her face turning slightly red.

Otoya chuckled. "Don't worry about it, I get that a lot. Anyways, I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you just start working here?"

Haruka nodded. "I just started today as the prince's assistant."

"Eh?! So you're the one who Masa had just taken in as an attendant!"

Haruka could only look at the young man in confusion. Masa…?

"This is the first time that Masa has ever taken someone as his attendant. He always claimed that he didn't need one. I'm pretty surprised."

"Really?" Haruka said.

"Well from what I've heard and all. I haven't been working long here myself as I only started a month ago."

"But I guess that means we'll be working together then?"

Otoya nodded. "Yep, seems that way. But…"

He gestured towards the spilled tea. "For how long, I'm not sure."

Haruka let out a cry of panic upon realizing that she still had to deliver the tea to the prince. "W-What do I do?!"

"Don't worry. We'll just go to the kitchen and make another," Otoya said.

When they arrived at the kitchen, Haruka scrambled to find the all the necessary items. Unfortunately, from all the commotion from earlier, she had forgotten where the ingredients for the tea were.

"I don't make tea, so I'm not sure where all the stuff is myself. Sorry I can't be more help," Otoya said sadly.

Haruka shook her head. "No, you've done more than enough to help me today. I have to take responsibility for this."

"Maybe I can be of some assistance."

Otoya and Haruka glanced over towards the doorway to see a tall, young man with glasses and wavy blond hair.

"Natsuki?" Otoya said with mild surprise as the man walked over to them.

Before Haruka could respond, Natsuki went over to Otoya and started affectionately rubbing his dog-ears between his fingers as she did a few minutes ago.

"Your doggy ears are so cute, Otoya-kun!" Natsuki cooed as Haruka looked at the newcomer in surprise.

"Please stop," Otoya said in exasperation.

"But your ears are just so small and fluffy! Just like Elizabeth's!"

Natsuki noticed Haruka and gave her a friendly smile. "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Natsuki Shinomiya."

Haruka introduced herself before Natsuki took hold of one of her hands and shook it in a friendly gesture.

"It is a pleasure to meet another fellow servant, especially one as lovely as you."

"Eh?" Haruka squeaked in surprise, her cheeks turning slightly red as Otoya's dog-ears twitched slightly in annoyance.

"Well, why don't we get that tea prepared shall we?" Natsuki said as she started going through the cupboards. "Cooking is a hobby of mine, so I know where all the ingredients are."

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Haruka said in relief.

Natsuki started pulling out random ingredients and Haruka was sure that Marian didn't use some of them.

"Um, Shinomiya-san…are you sure these are the ingredients?" Haruka asked.

"It's a recipe that I just recently made myself that I'm sure his Highness will enjoy," Natsuki said as he happily mixed the ingredients together.

Haruka and Otoya watched as Natsuki applied various ingredients into the brew, causing them to get progressively worried.

"Done!" Natsuki said after he finished pouring the tea into the cup.

Upon a closer look, Haruka could see some purple aura emanating from the cup.

Otoya took a whiff of the tea before immediately covering his nose. "Urk…! N-Natsuki, are you sure this is okay to drink…?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?" Natsuki said.

"If Shinomiya-san says so, it must be okay," Haruka said as she took the tray. "Besides, I think I've kept his highness waiting long enough."

"I-If you're sure…" Otoya said nervously.

Otoya and Natsuki led the way to the prince's quarters and decided to wait outside as Haruka did her job.

Haruka knocked on the door and glanced down at the discolored tea. Not only did it have a foul aroma, but also bubbled like toxic waste.

What did Shinomiya-san even put in it?

She heard Masato invite her in and she hesitantly opened the door. Hopefully it was okay. It couldn't be too bad, could it?

"Sorry I took so long. Some things came up," Haruka said nervously as she set the tray down and handed Masato the cup.

Masato lifted an eyebrow curiously but didn't question it.

He lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip. When the contents reached his mouth however, his face immediately contorted to that of disgust and uncouthly spat tea back into the cup.

"Ah!" Haruka cried as Masato sputtered and coughed vigorously.

After a series of hacks and coughs, Masato dropped his head onto his desk with a nauseated expression.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!"