Chapter 128: Out-of-focus People

Two updates + two additional chapters…

Thanks Nico and QLikesDonuts for the support…

---

「Uuuu…」

Outside the window, the sounds of cicadas can be heard.

I also hear the shouts of the club activities from the schoolyard.

When I heard that, I groaned, my mouth puckered up, a mechanical pencil between my lips and nose.

It’s make-up class. It can’t be helped, it’s make-up.

Even if I try to resist it with the words, “I don’t want it” I must still do make-up class.

That’s nice, it’s cool.

Now, I have finished one class and am in the middle of a quiz to review it.

I’m not a chicken, and I’m not going to make a mistake on something that was just explained to me.

It’s too stupid.

And now, after I finished the quiz as soon as possible, I’m waiting for the answers.

But still… I’m getting nervous. It makes me shudder.

When I thought about what was making me so nervous, the reason came to me immediately.

I haven’t seen Fu~min. Not yesterday, not today.

I sent him a message, “Good night Fu~min” before going to bed, but he didn’t reply until morning.

Hey hey, Fu~min, was it strange to say “good night” after six o’clock? Aren’t you treating me badly? Hey, Fu~min-san.

As I looked around, there were six of people who had to take make-up classes.

To be exact, there were five plus one.

This plus one is Kasuya-chi.

According to the teacher’s explanation, the suspension will be lifted at the end of the semester. If he takes a make-up exam, he can avoid staying in school for a while.

Yes, that’s good. Clap clap.

Well, I don’t want to forgive him for what he did to Fu~min, so I won’t talk to him or even make eye contact with him.

I think he is aware that he is being avoided. He never talks to me, and only talks to Hiratsuka-kun, who is sitting in front of him.

The interaction between the two of them was unbearable because everyone knew that it was a gorgeous collaboration between two rejected men.

Then, the quiz was over and it was time for a break.

When I came back to the classroom, I saw a girl sneaking a peek into the classroom through the door.

The color of the ribbon glimpsed in the doorway was that of a first-year student.

I wondered if it was a fan who had come to see Kasuya-chi, but on closer inspection, I found that it was someone I knew.

「Fukuda-chi!」

「Hiiiiiiiiiiii!?」

She jumped up and down like an American cartoon when I called her from behind.

「A-awawawa, Fu-Fujiwara-dai-senpai, g-g-g-good morning!」

「Dai-senpai…? I mean, what are you doing here?」

「Eh, ah, no, nothing! It’s nothing!」

「Hmm… No lies or deceptions…」

「Hiiii!?」

I narrow my eyes a little. That alone made her tremble. Hmm, the medicine’s working a little too well.

「I-I-I-I’ve got nothing to do in the dorm, so I thought maybe Wan-chan, I mean I could see Kijima-se-senpai…」

「Fu~min? Why?」

「P-please don’t be angry… Please forgive me…」

Fukuda-chi got completely teary-eyed and struck a pose as if praying. Why is she so scared?

「I won’t get angry if you tell me the truth, okay?」

「Yes… A-actually… if I look at him closely, Kijima-senpai is really cool…」

「Nnn?」

When I tilted my head, Fukuda-chi shakes her head in panic.

「Hiii!? No, that’s not it! I’m not thinking of confessing my love to him or anything big like that! T-there’s no room for me to come between the best couple, Fujiwara-dai-senpai and Kijima-senpai! I just wanted to see senpai for a little eye candy…」

「Fukuda-chi…」

「Hiiiiii…!?」

When I grabbed her shoulder, she looked like the end of the world.

「I, I misunderstood. I didn’t know Fukuda-chi was such a good girl…」

「… Y-Yes?」

「That’s right, Fu~min and I are the best couple. If we were magnets, we’d have the same N pole!」

「Oh, um… Are you expecting a tsukkomi?」

「What? I mean, we’re so tight together we can’t be separated」

「…………Exactly as you say」

There seemed to be an inexplicable pause in the conversation, but perhaps she was feeling a bit gerucky.

「Anyway, you want to see Fu~min for your eyes’ sake, Ahaha! Fukuda-chi, you have a good eye. I have a feeling we’ll get along well!」

「Eh? Ah… Yes」

「So, come to my place next time. The two of us can talk Fu~min all night!」

「What!?」

「No?」

「T-thank you very much!! Oh, I think I have something to do! Someone’s calling me! I-I-I beg your pardon!」

As soon as she said that, she ran away.

（What a strange girl. Well, if we can get to know each other a little better, I might even let her talk to Fu~min)

Thinking about such things, I stepped into the classroom in a good mood.

By the way, I got 5 out of 20 questions right on the quiz.

◇ ◇ ◇

「Mother, you don’t have to do anything~」

「Eh~, but Yui~, Mother isn’t busy~」

「If Mother touch it, it won’t be cleaned up~!」

From today, we, mother and daughter, were going to work as live-in workers at the residence of Seigo Fujiwara-sama.

The room we were given was in a separate building where Mai Fujiwara-sama lived. It was a vacant twelve-mat room on the first floor. It was fully furnished with a bed and furniture, and even had its own bathroom and sanitary facilities.

It was not a servant’s room, but a very clean room that could be considered a guest room.

As soon as I arrived, a senior maid showed me to my assigned room, and before I could catch my breath, I began to unpack my belongings.

In the first place, we only have three pieces of luggage in the trunk for two people, so moving is not a big deal.

The contract of the apartment was cancelled one month after we applied for it, but Seigo-sama took care of everything.

I can only thank him for his kindness.

「Mother~ really looking for~ward to working as a housekeeper~」

「No, don’t get excited, Mother~. You’ll break something~」

「Don’t worry~. I’ll be in the shadows… I’m just a witness to a crime~」

「Excuse me, Mother~? ……We used to have maids too, so how can you have such a miraculous misunderstanding~?」

I can only sigh. My mother is an extraordinary natural.

She was very beautiful and was called “Healing Actress” because of her fluffy and soft atmosphere, but to be honest, as her daughter, she was difficult to deal with.

In fact, she was completely useless at the canning factory where she worked until yesterday, and the manager assigned her to the easiest job.

Chikuwa[1] for canned Chikuzen-ni[2]. The job is to straighten the Chikuwa if it is lopsided as it moves down the lane.

Yes, it’s easy, but… I can understand why Mother would lose weight.

After all, I have seen Mother having a nightmare many times, saying, “Chi-chikuwa-san~, there are so many Chikuwa-san~!”

Anyway, I’m grateful that she doesn’t do anything. So, I’ll do my best to make up for it.

And… No matter what, I have to make Mai-sama like me.

Actually, yesterday, Masaki-sama called me and told me that each of the Favored Princesses will have their own faction.

The First Favored Princess, Masaki-sama’s faction will consist of myself and Amemiya.

The Second Favored Princess, Captain Tashiro’s faction will consist of Shima-senpai and Shiratori-senpai.

The Third Favored Princess, Misuzu-sama’s faction will consists of Takasago-senpai and someone named Kyoko Terashima-san.

The other Semi-Favored Princess, Ryoko Terashima-sama, will be a step down from the Favored Princesses, and will report directly to the Confinement King-sama.

In accordance with this, the layout of “The Room” is said to be changed drastically.

Basically, everyone will be given a room, and each faction will be assigned a room.

This makes me very excited!

At last, the battle of women in the Inner Palace is about to begin.

I will make sure that Masaki-sama rises to the position of the Confinement King-sama’s rightful wife. I will do everything in my power to achieve that. That’s what I’ve decided.

According to Masaki-sama, Mai Fujiwara-sama is not the favorite princess, but she is very dear to Confinement King-sama.

So, if she is liked by him, she will surely be a great backer.

While I was thinking about this, I heard Mai-sama’s voice coming from the doorway.

「I’m home~」

I hurriedly rushed to the door, pulling my mother’s hand.

「Welcome back, Mai-sama」

「Oh, Yui-chan, you started today, right?」

「Yes! Thanks to the Great Mai-sama, I, Yui Kayama, am spending this happy day!」

When I said this, Mai-sama looked as if she had eaten something strange.

---

(1) Chikuwa (竹輪) is a Japanese jelly-like food product made from ingredients such as fish surimi, salt, sugar, starch, monosodium glutamate and egg white.

(2) Chikuzenni (筑前煮, chikuzen-ni) is a dish that originated from northern Kyushu, Japan, made of braised chicken and vegetables)