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

*

"Ah, Princess. Did you get what you wanted?"

Jino's friend asked her on the bus.

"Well, thanks to you guys, I bought it."

"We're worried about you."

"what?"

"Because it started raining and everyone got back on the bus early, but you were still nowhere to be found."

"I'm sorry to have caused you worry."

"No, I'm glad you're okay. By the way, Princess, did you buy anything good?"

"Huh? Why do you ask?"

"Because the princess looks so contented."

"Ah, yes. I got some good stuff."

"What did you buy?"

"Hmm...it's my favorite felt mascot doll."

Jino indeed looked very satisfied.

It's certainly not just because she bought the doll.

On the other side, Shinnosuke, who was sitting some distance away from Himeno, was looking out the window with a satisfied expression.

"Thank you for your hard work, Agatsuma-san!"

Haruru returned to the bus and said this to Shinnosuke as she passed through the aisle.

"I was startled when you suddenly disappeared. Your clothes are torn, are you okay?"

"Ah, yeah. I just fell and got a few scrapes, but it's nothing serious. I was more embarrassed than the injury. So I just wandered around in deserted places until the gathering time."

"oh……"

Haruru looked at Shinnosuke's face with confusion.

(Was my excuse too contrived? Is she getting suspicious?)

"Alas, I'm glad your injuries aren't serious."

Haruru smiled, and it seemed that she had finally escaped her suspicion.

Shinnosuke touched his chest gently, thinking about being careful not to be discovered.

Volume 1, Chapter 7: Good things happen when you have a cold

The day after her field trip to Kyoto was Friday. When Himeno went to school that morning, she didn't see Shinnosuke in the classroom.

The class teacher said, "My wife has a cold and is taking a leave of absence today."

Jinai turned her head from her seat and looked behind her. The seat without its owner looked a little lonely.

He must have gotten caught in the rain in Kyoto. I wonder how he's doing. Himeno was incredibly concerned, but taking out her phone during class was against school rules, so she couldn't text him.

When the class was over, I sent a message saying, "I heard you had a cold, are you okay?" However, the other party did not reply to the message.

It wasn't until lunch break that Shinnosuke finally sent back a message saying "I'm fine."

Jino immediately asked again, "How do you feel?", but the other party did not reply.

Although she checked her phone from time to time during breaks, the other party did not read her messages until school was over.

(He was probably just asleep and didn't notice. He should be fine.)

Even though she thought so, she couldn't shake off her anxiety. She really wanted to know what happened to Shinnosuke's condition.

I kept suppressing my anxious mood and finally waited until school was over.

After the short class meeting, some went to clubs, some went home, and everyone left the classroom in twos and threes. When Jinai picked up her backpack and was about to leave the classroom, her friend came over to talk to her.

"Princess, let's go shopping. After all, tomorrow is a day off."

"Yes, yes, I have something I want to buy. I'd like to show it to the princess."

"Ah, sorry, Harumi, Yukari. My mother wants me to come home quickly today."

“Ah, I see…”

"That's all I can do. I'll make an appointment next time."

"I'm so sorry."

Although lying to her friend pained the serious Himeno, she still hurriedly left the classroom.

*

Jinai went home from school and changed her clothes in a hurry. Otherwise, if she wandered around far away from home in her uniform, it would be bad if someone saw her.

If he was bedridden, it would be better to wear clothes that were easy to move around in so that she could take care of him. After thinking about it, Jinai chose simple trousers and a T-shirt.

"Oh, right. I was thinking of bringing along the gift I made as a thank you for what happened yesterday."

Jino put "that thing" into her bag as if it were her treasure and walked out of the house.

She sent a LINE message to Shinnosuke, "I'm going to visit him right now," but he never read it. With no other options, Himeno decided to go directly to his house.

*

Himeno came to the door of Shinnosuke's house, a place she visited frequently, with a shopping bag filled with sports drinks, functional drinks, and light meals that she had bought at a convenience store on the way.

But she usually came to work, and the owner of this house knew she would come. But today, she sent a LINE message, but the other party didn't read it, so he probably didn't realize that Jino was here.

(What if I come over unexpectedly and cause trouble for Azuma-san...)

A sudden unease crossed her mind, and even the seemingly harmless act of ringing the doorbell caused her arm muscles to tense.

But since they had come all this way, they couldn't just go back without doing anything. Although she was worried about what Shinnosuke would think, Himeno was more worried about his condition.

"it is good."

She mustered up the courage to press the doorbell intercom. A ding-dong ring rang in the house.

But──no one responded.

(Is Agatsuma-san really in such a bad state? He lives alone, maybe he's dead...)

An ominous premonition emerged in Jinai's mind. This thought spread like a black mist, and then it weighed heavily on her heart. She suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken and her breathing became difficult.

(What should I do…what should I do…what should I do…)

Only now did Himeno realize that she was even more worried about Shinnosuke than she had imagined.

She pressed the doorbell intercom again anxiously.

"Excuse me, who is this?"

Shinnosuke's voice came from the doorbell intercom.

"Ah, Agatsuma-san, I'm Nishikawa!"

"Hey, Nishikawa? Why are you here?"

"I, I'm here to visit the patient."

"I'll open the door now, wait a moment."

The entrance door swung open with a click. Shinnosuke emerged, dressed in a thick cotton casual suit. He looked more energetic than she'd expected, and Himeno breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay? You didn't even read the message. I was worried."

"No, sorry. I was so sick with a fever that I slept until just now."

"Are you feeling well?"

"Yeah, it's much better now."

"Is that so... That's great."

Jino finally showed a relieved expression. Then she suddenly remembered something.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

"No...I didn't eat it."

"Well then, I'll go in and bother you."

"No, that's not possible. It would be a real problem if I gave you my cold."

"Now's not the time to say that. I'm in good physical condition and have a strong immune system, so don't worry. More importantly, you haven't eaten anything, so I'd be worried. After all, you don't seem to be exercising enough, and your immune system is weak."

Indeed, they were both drenched in the rain, but Jinai was now full of energy. She was also worried about herself, so she came here even though she didn't have a part-time job.

Although this was embarrassing for Shinnosuke, he was speechless when he thought about it.

"Okay. Thank you."

After entering his house, Jinai immediately went into the kitchen.

*

Shinnosuke was sitting on the sofa in the living room covered with a blanket, looking at Himeno in the kitchen from afar.

Today she wasn't wearing a maid outfit, but a T-shirt and pants, completely casual attire. If she usually came for work, today it felt like a private trip.

It's like being a girlfriend at her boyfriend's house.

Shinnosuke shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel his delusions. Perhaps it was because he was weak from a cold that this fantasy had surfaced in his mind. He wondered if he was a man prone to overthinking things.

"Sorry for the wait. Here, please drink this."

Jinai came to the living room and gently placed the cup on the table.

"Is it black tea?"

"No, it's ginger soup. It warms your body from the inside out."

Shinnosuke lifted the warm cup with both hands and sipped the liquid inside.

His body did gradually warm up from the inside.

Although he was used to living alone, he still felt uneasy living alone when he was sick.

When he drank the ginger soup filled with Ji Nai's care, he felt like a warm current was injected directly into his heart.

"Thank you. I'm really warm now."

"Yeah, that's great."

Jino showed a relieved expression.

Shinnosuke was hunched over, wrapped in a blanket, holding a bowl of ginger soup and wearing thick cotton casual clothes.

He was dressed like a patient and whispered:

"Um, Nishikawa."

"Um?"

"Thank you so much."

"You're being too serious. I just prepared some ginger soup, but you looked so touched and even thanked me. It really makes me feel embarrassed."

"No, I'm not just thanking you for the ginger soup."

"what?"

Himeno was confused by Shinnosuke's uncharacteristically calm tone.

"After my father was transferred overseas, I honestly lost interest in everything. Every day was just a hassle. Ever since you came, I've started to feel like I can't go on like this."

Although Himeno was surprised that Shinnosuke suddenly said these unexpected words, she still listened attentively.

"And you've done so much for me. Thanks to you, the lingering loneliness after my mother's death has been alleviated. I'm so grateful for all of this. I sincerely thank you."

"Azuma-san..."

“But sometimes it still makes me feel a little unhappy.”

"What……?"