They came so close that they were pushing me back into the table, but this only made me happier still. Laughing, I replied, “But don’t you think it’s wonderful that all three of us are here together?”
“What are you talking about? Having Sara here doesn’t make me happy at all!”
“As for me, I’m quite content as long as I can be with Lady Sakura.”
“Huh, really? I could have sworn you were looking forward to this, Kirara. And Sara, you were excited about joining the Sky Salon, right? Am I imagining all this?”
“For sure.”
“Indeed. I merely felt that this was the most appropriate salon for my mistress.”
With them being this insistent, I couldn’t push back any further. Still, if they felt this comfortable saying what was on their mind, our relationship seemed pretty good to me. I guess they both have personalities that make it hard to say anything positive about each other.
“Fine, if you say so.”
“There is nothing ‘fine’ about any of this! Stop blathering when there’s work to do!”
“All right! Your wish is my command. You are the head Seraph around here.”
“What are you talking about?” she replied, suddenly nervous. “If anyone hears you call me that, there’ll be hell to pay.” Kirara moved away, trembling with fear.
Obviously, the salon had a lot of older Seraphs to look up to. Every one of them was far more skilled and impressive than us, with the Kokonoe sisters at the top of the list. I didn’t think anyone would have been genuinely annoyed by my little joke, but we’d be teased and mocked more than enough to make up for it. That would probably have been worse than getting shouted at.
Turning to Sara, I said, “By the way, don’t let yourself become the older Seraphs’ plaything.”
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but I shall have to be careful.” There was trepidation in her voice; a faint bead of sweat formed on her temple as she moved away.
Once the tea was ready, we carried it back to the central table, where everyone was already chatting pleasantly.
“Sorry for the wait!”
“Ah, thank you,” Lady Kagura said. Gesturing with her hand, she added, “Please serve those to everyone.”
“Yes, milady.”
On her signal, we handed out the sweets to all the ladies. Even though Lady Sakura was new, this was otherwise a totally normal event. However, I sensed that Kirara was extremely nervous. Her restless gaze kept shifting between her hands and elsewhere.
The “elsewhere” was Sara. It looked like Kirara was very conscious of everything our newly arrived Seraph was doing.
That was when it hit me. Sara’s whole bearing was markedly different from ours. Her back was straight as an arrow as she gracefully held the tea set. Every one of her movements was captivating, but that wasn’t what really stood out. It was that as she moved the tray and set each cup down on the table, it didn’t make even the slightest noise.
Kirara was doing a far better job than I was, but I didn’t measure up to either of them whatsoever. Every step I took made the vessels on the tray clatter loudly against one another, which made me stand out as an inexperienced novice. When I put the cups down, I tried my hardest not to spill any of the contents, but my posture inevitably slipped. The tea turned into a stormy ocean, with the waves rolling over and splashing into the saucer.
Watching how carefully Kirara was working to avoid all this, the Kokonoe sisters giggled and stroked her bottom.
“Looks like Sara’s got you beat, Kirara!”
“You need to concentrate harder!”
Unable to say anything to counter that, or to raise any objections to their grabby hands, Kirara gritted her teeth in frustration. They were making her feel the clear difference in rank. Even so, Kirara didn’t lose heart. She tried to copy Sara’s movements exactly, closing the gap between them as best she could.
I already knew I was hopeless. I did my best to follow in their footsteps, but I had no idea how to make it that perfect.
Lady Kagura was watching Kirara as well. A soft chuckle came from her lips. “It seems as though Sakura and Sara’s arrival will be quite the motivating factor around here.”
“I can see what you mean,” Lady Sakura replied. “Sara’s also putting in extra effort today. I’m sure she’s quite self-conscious about Kirara and Misaki being here.”
Sara politely denied this. “No, milady. This is my standard level of performance.”
“Is that so? I don’t remember you being so exacting before.”
“If it appears that way, then I’d ask you to consider it proof that I’ve learned and improved in my time at this school.”
“Hmm, yes. If you put it that way, I’ve no choice but to celebrate my Seraph’s improvements.”
“Indeed, milady.”
Bowing her head respectfully, Sara quietly laid a plate of sweets in front of her mistress.
They’re the picture-perfect pair. I hope Himeko and I can look like that one day.
Meanwhile, despite my attempt to really focus, the cups on my tray were bouncing around and colliding with a noise that sounded like laughter. “Here you go, milady,” I said, my voice a bundle of nerves.
Himeko stifled a laugh, then apologized. “Sorry. Maybe you can learn a little from Sara too, though. I’d be happy to see you get better at this, Misaki.”
I lifted my head. “Yes, milady! I will!”
Hearing that was a pleasant surprise. So far, Himeko had given me very little to go on when it came to my maid duties. She’d never told me what she wanted from me on that front. I knew that was because we had a special kind of arrangement, but Himeko had finally pushed past that barrier.
There was a momentary look of realization on her face too, but she quickly smiled again without saying a word. Maybe she didn’t think I’d noticed anything.
✦ ✦ ✦
The rest of the party was an amiable affair, with Lady Sakura fitting in perfectly at the Sky Salon right from the word go.
Once the sweets had all been eaten, Lady Kagura looked around at everyone and said, “By the way, summer vacation will be starting very soon. Could I ask what everyone’s plans are? I assume some of you will be visiting your families and others will be staying on campus.”
Lady Saeko spoke up first. “I’m staying here. I have all sorts of minor business to attend to.” She bared her fangs in a bold, suggestive grin. Whatever business she was talking about, my instincts told me not to ask.
“I’ll be going home,” answered Lady Inaho. “I have to help out there.”
Similarly, Lady Sumire said, “I’m afraid I’ll be going to a summer resort for some rest and recuperation.”
Lady Sakura’s plans were no surprise. “I’m staying. I only just got here, after all.”
Soft laughter bubbled across the room.
I guess it would be pretty exhausting to go back so quickly anyway. She hasn’t even been here one month yet.
“Since I’m here during the summer holidays,” she continued, “I might as well take this opportunity to look around every nook and cranny of the school.”
“Good idea,” Lady Kagura agreed. “The campus is so large that there are plenty of places even I’ve never been to.”
The school grounds really were enormous. The high school alone had two buildings that looked like castles with vast gardens surrounding them. Also, while I hadn’t seen it, there was not only a junior high on the other side of the hill, but apparently a university as well. Adding all that together, the scale had to be immense. If she wanted to explore every corner, it really would take the entire vacation.
“I’m staying on campus as always,” said Himeko. Turning to me, she added, “What about you, Misaki?”
“I’m thinking of staying here too.”
More to the point, I didn’t exactly know where I’d go “home” to if I did decide to go home.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to help you, and someone has to take care of the Sky Salon during the vacation.”
“Excellent,” Himeko replied, grinning and gently stroking one of my pigtails.
“In general, it sounds like everyone’s sticking to their usual plans,” Lady Kagura concluded. “I’ll be going home for the first half, so I’ll leave the salon in the hands of those of you who are left.” Turning to Kirara, she added teasingly, “I’d like you to come with me this time, Kirara.”
“Oh! Yes, milady!”
During Golden Week, Kirara had stayed on campus to try and win over Lady Minako, so this would be her first visit to Lady Kagura’s family home. It was a big step. This was set to be Kirara’s place of employment after graduation. I could only imagine how she felt about the prospect of setting foot in that house as a first-year student.
Thanking her mistress with a nervous expression, she shot up from her chair and bowed. In my mind, I gave her a silent cheer of encouragement.