Chapter 31: ‘May and Summer’ Are Going ‘Autumn Is Coming’

It’s three in the morning.

May finally fell asleep.

“Mnya mnya…”

“You still have bad sleeping habits.”

Drooling and all.

“Mana… the prince is asking me to marry him.”

…What kind of dream is she having?

It was surprisingly enjoyable to talk with a coworker for a few hours.

Maybe because most of it was about the young lady and me.

It flowed smoothly, though.

Of course, in between, there were nagging questions like when I would get married and that I should get married before I turn 20.

“Mana… be happy too… I’ll find love…”

…Who will take her?

She’s a bit pretty, but she’s too pure and naive, so I’m worried she’ll get married to a bad place.

It would be nice if a decent man took her.

Preferably a knight, since she likes them so much.

“Hehe…”

She seems to be having a happy dream, so I’ll just leave her alone.

Alright…

I carefully get out of bed and stretch.

It’s been a while since I’ve been alone at dawn.

Carefully, I open the door and go out to start the housework.

Housework is something that you notice when it’s not done, but you don’t notice when it’s done perfectly, so to speak.

It’s never easy to maintain the usual state.

“Hmm~ Hmmm~”

The peace of mind that comes from diligently sweeping and wiping every corner by myself.

Yes, this is it.

I like this feeling when I’m cleaning alone~

“Hmm?”

I sense a presence from above.

Is the young lady not sleeping well?

I quietly go up to the second floor to check if the young lady is sleeping.

– Creak…

Hmm…

She’s pretending to be asleep.

The young lady is lying demurely on the bed with her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

Of course, she can’t fool my eyes.

How long do you think I’ve watched the young lady sleep?

I can tell whether she’s pretending to be asleep or actually sleeping just by looking at her posture.

“The young lady is sleeping~”

…Why wasn’t she sleeping..

She’ll be sleepy tomorrow morning.

I carefully go to the young lady’s side and lie down.

“Since the young lady is sleeping, I’ll hug her and sleep~”

I hug the young lady tightly.

Hmm, she’s so warm.

Why wasn’t the young lady sleeping…

Was it because I wasn’t there?

Hmm… I didn’t intend to do this when I first started sleeping together.

Could it be that she has become dependent on me to sleep?

Hmm…

Or was she just waiting for me to come?

She might have been waiting, believing that I would come even if she was sleepy.

…If that’s the case, it’s a bit of a luxury for a maid, but I feel loved.

Being hugged by the young lady makes me a little.. sleepy.

..It’s really nice to be warm..

…Then shall I sleep for a little while?

I close my eyes for a moment, hugging the young lady.

I’ll sleep for a little while and wake up again to prepare breakfast.

I’ll have to make something nice for May since she’s leaving after breakfast.

I’ll make several snacks for her to eat on the way, so she won’t be bored.

…But why did it take her 6 hours?

Anyway, she’s too weak.

“Hehe… nice…”

The young lady is warm and nice…

Mmm, the young lady is a natural sleeping pill.

After a short nap, in the morning,

“Hey… wh, what’s all this?”

“Food for you to eat on your way?”

I baked some nice pies for May.

“This is an apple pie, that’s a blueberry pie, that’s a pumpkin pie, that’s a pecan pie, that’s an egg tart, raspberry pie, cherry pie, cheesecake. Eat one when you’re bored on the way.”

“Th, thank you… I can eat for 5 days just by carrying this.”

May, with both arms full of pies, thinks for a moment and then stuffs the pies into her maid bag.

Yes, it’s much more convenient to put it in there.

“Don’t mention it. Give my regards to the madam.”

“Yes, I’ll tell her you’re doing well. How’s the young lady?”

“She hasn’t woken up yet.”

“Ah… that’s a shame, I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Then will you leave a little later?”

May shakes her head at my words.

“If I don’t go now, I’ll arrive at the bishopric when the sun sets.”

“…You’re too slow.”

“You’re the fast one. It’s difficult to put you on the same level as a normal maid.”

“Hmm, does it take that long? Should I make a path?”

“…What if strange people come here because of that? I don’t know about people who get lost, though.”

“If someone is skilled enough to get lost and come here, it might be worth seeing.”

We exchange a few meaningless words.

Still, I’m a little sad that she’s leaving.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now?”

“Yes, go well. Will you come in the winter too?”

“Hmm.. maybe? I’ll come visit if I get a winter vacation.”

“Okay, be healthy until then.”

“You too.”

Wham! May hugs me.

She’s really like a child.

Hmm?

“May, wait 5 minutes. I think the young lady is awake.”

“Huh? How do you know?”

“Because I’m an elite maid?”

I go to the second floor and open the door, and the young lady is sitting there, half-asleep and dazed…

“Young Lady, May is leaving now, do you want to say goodbye?”

“Huh..?”

“My colleague. She’s going back now.”

“Ah… already?”

“She’s a bit slow on her feet, so she has to leave now.”

“…Then I’ll go see her.”

“Yes!”

I quickly change her clothes and wash her face, then carry the young lady down to the first floor.

May smiles brightly when she sees me and the young lady.

“May, are you leaving now?”

“Yes, Young Lady Cieli, I’m very grateful for your grace these past few days. Thank you. May I come visit again in the winter?”

“…Yes, okay. Come again in the winter.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you in the winter…”

Bowing, May opens the mansion door and leaves.

“Don’t you need to see her off?”

“She’s a maid, she won’t get lost, will she?”

“…There’s a possibility if it’s May.”

Hmm…

Our young lady seems to have definitely improved her ability to see people.

“…Then I’ll be going to help her?”

“Yes, well… I’ll go back to sleep..”

“Yes, sleep a little more, Young Lady.”

I quickly go up to the second floor and lay the young lady down on the bed.

“Then, I’ll be back in 3 hours.”

“…You seem to be getting faster.”

“Because I’m a capable elite maid. Sleep well!”

“Yes…”

As soon as she lies down on the bed, the young lady quickly falls asleep. I watch her for a moment and then go out the door.

May is slowly going down in the distance.

“May.”

“Kyaak?! Wh, what a surprise! Why did you suddenly appear without making a sound!”

“Get on my back.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll take you to the village quickly. Get on my back.”

“…I can go alone. Is the young lady okay?”

“Yes, it’s okay. The young lady gave me permission.”

“If that’s the case…”

May carefully gets on my back.

It’s all good, but because of the skirt, it’s a little.. you know.

“Hmm… would it be more comfortable to be held than to be carried on my back because of the skirt?”

“Um…maybe?”

I take May down and then pick her up again.

“I never thought I’d be held by Mana in my life~.”

“I’ve held you a few times in the past when you did something strange and fell.”

“Ahahaha…”

“Do you want to close your eyes?”

“Okay~ I’ll trust you!”

…I’ll have to break 3 hours round trip soon.

I briefly loosen my body and bang..!

“Kyaak?!”

“It’s okay. It’s just normal speed.”

“Wh, what’s normal about this!!”

“10km per hour is normal.”

“Kyaaaaa!!”

I took May to the bishopric and returned home.

Round trip… 3 hours and 2 minutes.

Hmm.. still a little slow.

But maybe I can do it next time if I get a little more knack for it.

As soon as I get home, I wash my hands and go to the young lady.

Sniff sniff… the young lady sleeping soundly.

…Cute.

“Young Lady, I’m back.”

“Mmm…”

I gently lie down next to the cute young lady.

Hmm… nice…

How can our young lady be so cute even when she’s sleeping?

She’s just like a doll.

I stare blankly for a while and poke.. poke.. the young lady’s cheek.

The chewy, bouncy cheek of the young lady…

Hmm, it’s quite addictive.

“Mmm..?”

“Ah, are you awake?”

The young lady smiles bashfully as soon as she opens her eyes.

…She’s just like an angel.

“Mana is back?”

“Yes, I dropped her off safely.”

“Hehe… then kiss me.”

The young lady smiles, “Hehe”, and carefully closes her eyes.

…She’s gotten very used to it.

“Hurry up?”

– Smooch…

I always feel it, but the young lady’s lips are really soft and sweet…

Even though it’s a warm and cute lip-to-lip contact, it makes me feel good…

“Fuaaa…!”

“Good morning, Young Lady. Let’s have a good day today too?”

“Yes! Mana too!”

Well, shall we start the day today?

“What’s that good smell?”

“Ah, I made some pies for May so she wouldn’t starve on the way. Would you like some too, Young Lady? It should be perfectly cooled down to eat now.”

“Yes I want to eat!!”

I naturally take the young lady to the bathroom and start the day.

It was a really fun week thanks to May.

May came quickly, and she left quickly, “Whoosh”.

It was only a week, but the young lady has grown a lot… I hope she comes again next time and plays with her.

And that’s the same for summer.

“Mana~~~”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Look over there! The leaves are turning brown!”

“They are.”

The intense heat is over, and little by little, a cool breeze blows at night and the sky becomes dull.

Trees that are gradually withering, wild animals preparing for winter,

“It must be autumn!”

“That’s right. It’s autumn, Young Lady.”

Autumn has come.

“What are we going to do and play in autumn?”

“We’re going to do a lot of things. You can look forward to it.”

“I’m so happy! I’m so excited!”