The arrogant young lady in the class works as a maid in my house

(Gentle? Me? Did Ren Zhichuan's favorability towards me increase?)

"But this is my job, so please don't be polite to me."

(It turns out it was just a work-related matter. Oops, I almost misunderstood.)

"Master, please go back to the living room and rest."

After saying this, Jino started to wash the used dishes.

Shinnosuke listened to her words and returned to the living room, where he sat down on the sofa. He could hear the sound of running water washing dishes from the kitchen.

On a Sunday afternoon, I was well fed and content, and the sound of water splashing in the distance was as calming as soothing music.

The living room's floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the courtyard. The weather was great, and so was my mood.

This kind of life is great.

Shinnosuke stared blankly out the floor-to-ceiling window at the courtyard.

“Wow…”

He saw a cat outside the window looking in. He didn't know when the neighborhood cat had sneaked into the courtyard of his home.

Although the cat was not big, Shinnosuke was traumatized by a cat when he was a child, and he just felt it was scary.

Shinnosuke was about to close the curtains, but when he stood up and approached the window, the cat ran away, which made him feel relieved.

*

After a while, Himeno cleaned up the mess left after the meal and returned to where Shinnosuke was.

"Today's chores are done."

She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed respectfully.

"Oh, okay. Thank you."

“By the way—”

Jinai took a breath and took out a thin square plastic box.

"Would you like to watch this together?"

Perhaps because her work was over, her tone returned to its usual pattern.

"What's this?"

"It's a DVD of the movie. I brought it from home so I could watch it with you."

Shinnosuke took a look at the box that Himeno brought and found out that it was a popular comedy movie that was highly praised and said to be guaranteed to make people laugh.

It's strange that a cold-blooded young lady would bring this kind of movie. It's totally inconsistent with the impression she gives people.

"Does Nishikawa like comedy movies? What a surprise."

"No, I don't particularly like it..."

"Then why are you looking at this?"

"Because everyone says this movie is funny and interesting, I want you to laugh out loud and cheer yourself up after watching it."

"Cheer up? Me? Why?"

"Because you haven't looked energetic since gym class."

"what……"

Ever since that incident, Shinnosuke has indeed been very quiet in her presence.

Although he wasn't depressed yet, he was worried about being looked down upon by Himano.

I didn't expect that Jinai saw my appearance and was still worried about me.

A warmth welled up in Shinnosuke's chest.

"Thank you. Let's come and see it. We absolutely must."

Shinnosuke took Himeno's DVD, put it in the player under the TV cabinet, and then sat on the sofa.

"Can I watch it with you on the couch?"

"sure."

"Thanks."

Himeno sat down on the sofa, with a distance of one person between her and Shinnosuke. Shinnosuke picked up the remote control and started playing the movie.

The two of them looked at the screen side by side.

Since Himeno started working as a housekeeper, the two of them had spent a lot of time together at home. However, this was the first time they had sat side by side, so close that they could feel each other's breath.

Shinnosuke had never done this with a girl his age. Just this made his heart beat faster, just like they were lovers, and this thought flashed through his mind.

(Oops. Can't concentrate on the movie.)

He couldn't help but steal a glance at Jinai who was sitting next to him.

"Wow!"

For some reason, Himeno was also looking at Shinnosuke. Their eyes met and they were startled.

"Roar..."

Himeno seemed to be taken aback as well, and uttered a strange sound that was not in keeping with the temperament of a high school lady.

"Ah, uh... I was worried that this comedy might not suit your taste."

She was lying. In reality, Shinnosuke was so close to her that she could even hear his breathing, and that alone made Himeno very concerned.

"Ah, well, I'm enjoying it. I see you're also curious about whether you like the movie."

He was lying. Shinnosuke couldn't say it because Himeno was so close to him, making him nervous.

"Yeah. I like it. Let's just focus on watching the movie then."

"Yeah. This is the movie you brought for me, so let's just focus on watching it."

"yes."

He turned his attention back to the movie, watched it carefully, and found it really interesting.

"Wow, what's going on? This is hilarious! Hahaha!"

When I came to my senses, Shinnosuke was already laughing out loud.

My depressed mood these days has obviously improved.

"Hehe, how funny... Ugh, ahahaha."

Even Himeno, who was usually stoic and rarely laughed in front of others, was laughing so hard that she held her belly. Her head swayed back and forth, her beautiful hair fluttering lightly, and she looked genuinely happy.

A girl in a black and white maid outfit sat beside him, laughing heartily. She was the same young lady with a beautiful and refined appearance, admired by everyone.

(What’s going on? This situation is ridiculous.)

Shinnosuke was also very happy with Himeno's appearance.

The movie also contains a series of absurd and funny scenes.

"Ahahaha, this is so intense. So funny! Wahahaha, ahahaha."

Shinnosuke laughed so hard that he cried. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks.

He hadn't cried in a long time. This brought back the emotions Shinnosuke had felt when his mother died.

*

When Shinnosuke was in junior high school, his mother passed away suddenly in a traffic accident. The happy family life he had been living with his parents suddenly felt like a huge hole was broken.

Shinnosuke had just begun a new life when he encountered this suffocating and hopeless situation, which made him lose all motivation. It was unavoidable that a child who had just entered junior high school would end up like this.

He told his father that he didn't want to do anything and he really lived his life in a daze.

But his father seemed to be also deeply hurt.

His father cried bitterly on the day of his mother's funeral. Since then, he has never let Shinnosuke see his tears. But every night, he can hear sobbing coming from his father's room.

Despite this, his father never complained to him. Instead, he worked harder and took care of household chores.

My father was very busy at work, always working from day to late at night. But he would still get up early, make breakfast for his only son, and even prepare dinner before going out to work. He would also clean the house by himself on Sundays.

However, the father who worked so hard soon became much more haggard within a few months.

Shinnosuke saw his father's condition and thought that if he continued like this, his father would collapse.

So Shinnosuke, who had not wanted to do anything before and left all the housework to his father, made a suggestion to his father.

"Dad, I'll prepare dinner. Let's share the cleaning and housework."

"What are you talking about, Shinnosuke? Kids, don't worry about these things. Just focus on your studies."

"I'm already a junior high student, not a child anymore."

──No, junior high school students are still children.

My father looked as if he wanted to say so. But after hearing his resolute words, my father was deeply moved and replied:

"Okay. Let's do it then."

After that, Shinnosuke was responsible for the daily housework. The thought of supporting his father made him move his body, and thanks to having something to do, he was able to alleviate some of the loneliness he felt after losing his mother.

Therefore, even though Shinnosuke could not forget the loneliness of his mother's death, he rarely immersed himself in deep sorrow after that.

But now Ji Nai does housework for him wholeheartedly and treats him gently and considerately, which makes his emotions fluctuate.

*

"Huh? Are you crying?"

Shinnosuke didn't notice that Himeno was looking at his face. He just faced the screen and shed tears silently.

Jinai had been sitting a person's distance away from him before, but now she sat next to him, so close that their shoulders touched.

"Ah, yeah. I'm fine."

"Is there something sad?"

Shinnosuke thought about it for a moment after hearing her question.

(Sad things? No, that’s not the reason. I did think of sad things, but I don’t feel sad now. Instead, I feel warm inside.)

"No. I just happened to be remembering something from the past."

"Is that so? Then can you tell me about it?"

I didn't expect Himeno to say such a thing. Shinnosuke was startled and stared at her face.

Her face did not have the usual cold expression, but instead exuded a rather calm and gentle atmosphere.

"Hmm... this is a bit embarrassing."

"You don't have to force yourself to speak. I just want to say that all I can do is listen to you. If you tell me, maybe it will make you feel a little more at ease."

"I see. Thank you."

When she said these words, she exuded an aura of tolerance. Himeno's words made Shinnosuke feel strangely at ease. So Shinnosuke suddenly talked about his feelings after his mother's death.

Jinai kept smiling gently and nodded from time to time as she listened to him speak.

"You work so hard. I think you're amazing."

Coming back to his senses, I noticed Himeno, sitting on the sofa, even closer to Shinnosuke than before, leaning against him. So close, her shoulders practically touching, I could feel her warmth. It was warm and reassuring.

Himeno's gentle words seemed to gently caress the hardened part of Shinnosuke's heart. As he spoke, tears began to flow uncontrollably. But Shinnosuke continued to express his feelings to Himeno.

“Although my mother passed away, I wasn’t sad at all.”

Shinnosuke said stubbornly.

"Azuma-san, you're so strong."

When his father was transferred abroad, Shinnosuke stayed behind instead of going with him. He simply told his father and grandfather, "I don't want to transfer schools in high school."

But in fact, he had another idea, which was that he didn't want this home that held memories of his mother to become an empty house.

If the house becomes empty, the furniture and belongings will gather dust, and the house will gradually age. Hearing this, he felt that his memories of his mother would also age. He was deeply reluctant to let this happen.

So Shinnosuke thought that although Himeno was so sure of him, he was not as strong as he said.