The butler could only sigh deeply.
“All right! We’re done. Good job, everyone.” Washu looked around, satisfied. “Now it’s time for a bath…”
“I’ll have someone lead the way.” Obviously, the butler could not take her. “Could somebody please show Washu-sama to the bath?”
“Oh, allow me.” A young maid stepped forward. “This way!”
Her name was Sobo Mei. She was the youngest of the maids and two years younger than Washu. Originally from Jurai, she became a maid to pay for her living expenses while studying at the Academy. Back then, quite a lot of money was required to attend, and if one was not born into wealth, it was impossible to raise the funds. But the Academy’s other function was to cultivate talent, and as such, there was a scholarship system. Students like Washu, who were accepted into the Department of Philosophy, the highest seat of learning, were exempted from all expenses—from tuition to living costs. However, this privilege was limited to a small percentage of people. And while most were exempt from tuition, they still had to cover their own living expenses.
Selection for this group was the result of a number of exams, but even passing difficult tests did not guarantee acceptance into an applicant’s desired department. Aptitude tests often led to entry into departments that weren’t the prospective student’s first choice.
“To get into another department, you have to pass the transfer exam that takes place every few years or pay your own way…” It was clear that Mei did not have much in terms of funds. “That’s why I took the maid exam. A lot of people take this route. It covers your living expenses, and you get a salary.”
“Wow! Good for you. Mei-san, which department do you want to get into?”
“I…want to be an Imperial Tutor.”
“Imperial Tutor?”
“Yes, I want to teach the princes and princesses of the Juraian Imperial Family.” Mei blushed and continued. “A member of Jurai’s nobility was a lecturer at the school I went to…”
“Juraian nobility?! As a lecturer?”
“On Jurai, they teach at a limited number of schools, but my school was the alma mater… And often, they come to the alma mater of their Imperial Tutor, to repay the favor, as it were. I was very indebted. Such an openhearted, friendly teacher… And with their recent marriage, and the birth of a baby, I wanted to repay the favor…even a little bit…”
“I see… And did you like this person, by any chance?” Washu asked a bit cheekily.
“Y-yes!”
“Oh, well, you owned it. So, tell me more. Did your heart skip a beat?”
“Yes…she was very dignified, and very pretty, like you, Washu-sama.”
“What? She’s a woman?”
“Yes?” Noticing Washu’s reaction, Mei looked quizzical.
“Oh…I’m sorry, that must be hard.”
“Yes… Oh!” Mei finally realized what Washu was thinking and blushed. “No! I’m straight, and I’m not inclined that way.”
In this day and age, gender reaffirmation surgeries were commonplace. However, Washu had assumed Mei was attracted to members of the same sex.
“I’m sorry. I assumed you were talking about a man, so my thoughts went in that direction.”
“Jeez! But…I heard that people with that sexual orientation were not included in this particular maid application pool.”
“Why? I wouldn’t mind,” said Washu.
“They said there are still laws outlawing same-sex…intercourse where you’re from, on Kanamitsu.”
“There are…?”
“Some of those laws do remain in the regional books in your homeland, although they’re from thousands of years ago,” Mei chuckled. Washu smiled with her.
“Good grief. So, they’ve neglected to remove them from the books… It’s so gracious of the administrators to have looked into all these details. They’ve really left nothing wanting. It doesn’t matter to me, since I’m not inclined that way anyway.”
“Oh, then you should be careful of Naja. One of my friends reminds me of her.”
Well, she was overly familiar… Washu thought. She could not help but laugh that Mei was such a gossip.
“What’s the matter…?”
“Nothing. All right, I understand. I’ll be careful not to get pinned down.”
“Ah, here’s the entrance to the grand bathroom.” Past gateposts without doors was an open garden.
“There’s a bath here?” Although Washu expected extravagance by now, the garden was still astounding.
“No, this is the dressing room.” Mei’s answer exceeded Washu’s expectations. The enormous disparity between her previous life and the present was blunting her ability to think.
Trees and buildings cleverly concealed the dressing room. Beyond that… “Is this a pool?” Washu asked, staring.
“No, this is the bath.”
“Just had to ask.”
There were many large bodies of water, surrounded by stands of colorful tropical trees, a winding water slide a dozen meters tall, and various recreational attractions; the vista was such that Washu could only see it as a water park.
“This is for your personal use, so it’s up to you whether you want to use it as a pool.”
“I feel like I’m going to go crazy. Heh heh heh…”
“W-Washu-sama?” Mei reflexively stepped backwards upon hearing Washu’s low, creepy laughter.
“All the female employees shall use this place! All right?”
“What?”
“Everyone uses it. Got that?!”
“Y-yes, ma’am!” Mei answered joyfully. “I wanted to try it, just once.”
“I figured as much.”
“But…are you sure?”
“I would look stupid going down that big slide all by myself.”
“You think so? Maybe objectively, but I wouldn’t mind. It looks fun,” Mei declared. She obviously wanted to give it a try.
“If you’re not busy with your work, do you want to slide down a couple times right now?”
“What?! Are you sure?” Mei was almost shedding tears of joy.
“Heh, go ahead.”
Thanks to Mei’s infectious glee, Washu was going down the slide with her less than an hour later. After several dozen rides, Washu returned to her bedroom exhausted, too tired to change into the pajamas laid out for her. She stripped to her underwear and fell into bed. “Mei has so much energy…” she mumbled and then drifted off into a deep slumber.
The next morning, Mei, full of energy again, woke Washu up. Once she finished breakfast with the entire staff, and made herself presentable, the time when she had promised to meet Naja arrived. But, even once eight o’clock had come and gone, Naja did not show up.