I'm having fun in Tokyo

As Lu Xun said, people's joys and sorrows are not shared, and this statement is indeed true.

"Miss Fujiwara, would you like something to eat?"

Seeing her looking this way, Morikawa Yu smiled at her.

Nishino also looked at her.

As a messenger of the household gods, she knew many people in the family, including Fujiwara Shiori.

Although the two were not very close, they had a certain degree of acquaintance.

"Shiori, would you like some?" Nishino pushed the food in front of her.

Shiori Fujiwara shook her head.

"Thank you, but I really don't have much of an appetite."

As she spoke, she pushed the food that Nishino had pushed over back to Shinkaku.

When Xinjue saw the food coming, she ate it without any hesitation, fully demonstrating her enthusiasm for food.

Fujiwara Shiori looked at Kokoro with a hint of envy in her eyes.

"Miss Shinkaku, are you Mr. Morikawa's maid?"

Xinjue nodded as she ate.

Fujiwara Shiori glanced at her, then at Morikawa Yu.

He sat next to Xinjue, watching her eat with a smile, and occasionally feeding her drinks.

Fujiwara Shiori's expression turned strange.

She felt that Miss Shinkaku was not like Mr. Morikawa's maid at all, but rather like a pet.

Although she was dressed as a maid, she received treatment far beyond what a maid could receive; she was even more comfortable than she, a young lady.

At least she wouldn't dare let Mr. Morikawa feed her, otherwise her uncle and the God of the House would definitely consider it an offense to him.

"Miss Shinjue, are you tired from serving Mr. Morikawa? What do you usually do?"

She asked a question, staring at Xinjue's expression.

Xin Jue was taken aback by the question.

She couldn't help but think of her life in the Morikawa family.

It seems that apart from wearing a maid outfit to satisfy her master's perverted fetishes, she hasn't done anything else, let alone any work.

Although I clean the house myself, He Mei keeps it very tidy. I just arrange things and it doesn't take much effort on my part.

The only thing that was special was what I did for my master yesterday.

"You don't need to think about it anymore, I already understand."

Fujiwara Shiori made a gesture, interrupting Kokoro's recollection.

She sighed.

As expected, this Miss Shinkaku is not a maid, but rather Mr. Morikawa's pet, at most with a somewhat inappropriate relationship.

Real maids would never receive such treatment.

Seeing Fujiwara Shiori sigh, Morikawa Yu patted Shinjue's head.

"Ms. Fujiwara is an administrative officer, right? I haven't had a chance to ask yet, what does an administrative officer do? Is it very tiring?"

As he spoke, he thought about Shiori Fujiwara's consistent slacking off.

Her fear of returning to Kyoto is probably because of her position as an administrative officer.

Before the plane took off, she kept complaining that she would catch monsters and criminals when she got back.

Is her so-called administrative officer position similar to that of the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Mobile Unit or an exorcist priestess?

He thought for a moment about what Shiori Fujiwara would look like in a shrine maiden outfit, and immediately shook his head.

No, no, a shrine maiden should have long, straight black hair or a hermaphrodite hairstyle. Her short hair is simply demonic and doesn't fit the image of a shrine maiden at all.

“A civil servant…” Fujiwara Shiori took a deep breath, as if recalling a painful past.

"It was established by His Highness the Shinto priest, who made our great families in Kyoto sacrifice young men and women to be exploited and bound by the shrine and serve it."

“If something happens, we administrative officers will step in; if nothing happens, we'll prepare for what might happen.”

No matter how dangerous the job is, you can't back down.

"For example, a while ago, that guy who was impersonating His Highness the God brought me to Tokyo. I had no choice but to accept, and I almost lost my life."

Morikawa Yu's expression instantly turned serious.

Goodness, is this for real?

Is it that bad?

He looked toward the office area where Fujiwara Keisuke was playing with a cat—no, he was being played with by a cat.

Keisuke Fujiwara noticed his gaze, picked up an orange cat from his head, wiped the cat paw prints off his face and body with a tissue, and walked over.

Compared to Fujiwara Shiori, who seemed like a tragic young girl in a melodramatic drama, and the three of them, who were enjoying a spring outing, he was like an uncle strolling through a cat cafe, having a great time.

Morikawa Yu immediately repeated what Fujiwara Shiori had just said to him, and Fujiwara Keisuke's expression suddenly turned serious.

Chapter 223 Do you still need a maid?

"Really? Shiori?"

"Are you all having such a hard time these days? I haven't seen any of the administrative staff complaining about this."

He said it in disbelief.

"Mr. Keisuke, you also worked as an administrative officer?" Morikawa Yu looked at Fujiwara Keisuke.

Keisuke Fujiwara nodded: "Yes, the administrative officer system requires each family to send outstanding members of the main family to the shrine to learn the shrine's relevant rules and regulations and to cooperate with the shrine in handling matters."

“I used to be a civil servant, but I retired to take over some of the power in my family and then went into politics.”

As he spoke, he changed the subject and looked at Fujiwara Shiori seriously.

"Shiori, is the shrine really being this harsh on you now?"

Shiori Fujiwara nodded: "Yes."

“That doesn’t make sense. Shino has never complained about the shrine.” Fujiwara Keisuke said with a thoughtful expression.

"She did say something to me, that she felt you were too outstanding as the older sister, always being the chief affairs officer, which made them feel inferior and that they wanted to catch up with you."

"Chief Affairs Officer?" Morikawa Yu was startled and looked at Fujiwara Shiori.

Is this sophisticated-sounding title yours?

No way?

You, a lazy bum, are actually a big shot among the administrative staff?

He looked Fujiwara Shiori up and down, trying to find a trace of the quality of a winner among her peers in her listless, languid face, but he was unsuccessful.

Although she has the face of a refreshing and handsome young girl, she looks like a working-class girl crushed by the burdens of life.

"Because I'm the eldest daughter of the Fujiwara family, I have to do better than others," Fujiwara Shiori whispered. "But His Highness the Shrine Maiden and those shrine maidens are really going too far."

"They think I can handle things well, so they entrust me with more tasks to solve and complete."

"So you're really that good at being an administrative officer?" Morikawa Yu looked at her.

Shiori Fujiwara nodded, then shook her head.

"I am indeed the chief among the administrative officers, but that's all. I can't compare to a strong person like you, Mr. Morikawa."

"At most, we cooperate with the shrine's operations. The targets we deal with are criminals and monsters who commit crimes. If we encounter a powerful monster, or even a stronger one, we have to ask the household gods and the shrine to handle it."

"You are capable of dealing with great monsters on your own, and even more powerful monsters. You are far more capable than us."

"If you hadn't saved me from that guy who was impersonating His Highness the God, I would have had absolutely no chance of surviving, so you don't need to be curious about us guys."

Morikawa Yu nodded, roughly understanding what Fujiwara Shiori meant.

She was indeed the chief of affairs officers in their shrine, very powerful among the young men and women, and an object of admiration for everyone, but that was only the result of her efforts due to family responsibilities.

If it were up to her, she would definitely want to live an easy life and not want to get involved in these things, but she had no choice but to accept it.

"Mr. Morikawa, do you need a maid?"

Fujiwara Shiori suddenly raised her head and looked at him.

"If you need a maid, how about I become your maid? It would be a good opportunity for me to repay your kindness."

"You mean a maid like Xinjue?"

Morikawa Yu pinched the cheek of Shinjue beside her.

She was still eating, listening intently to the conversation while she ate, with an expression that said, "You're so pitiful, thankfully I'm not that pitiful."

Hearing Morikawa Yu suddenly mention her, she immediately shook her head, looking wary: "No, it would be enough for Master to have only one maid like me."

"Being a master's maid isn't easy; lately, we've had to do that kind of thing..."

Morikawa Yu covered Shinkaku's mouth.

Shiori Fujiwara shook her head.

"I don't mind at all, after all, Mr. Morikawa is my type."

"Anyway, I'm just a girl. In the end, I'll definitely be used as a tool for family marriage and married to someone I don't like. I might as well give myself completely to someone I like."

Keisuke Fujiwara coughed lightly: "Shiori, don't say such shameless things."

Fujiwara Shiori glanced at him and nodded, but her expression immediately fell.

"Look, Mr. Morikawa, as the eldest daughter of a large family, I can't even tell the truth. How about you have some mercy and save me?"

"I must refuse." Morikawa Yu shook her head.

“Ms. Fujiwara, you are a very outstanding person, but you are constrained by yourself.”

"Once you get over your own inner conflicts, you don't have to live such a tiring life."

"Mr. Morikawa, you must have had a relaxed upbringing and a family that loves you unconditionally to be able to say something like that, right?"

Shiori Fujino shook her head noncommittally.

"My family is only nice to me now because I'm the shrine's chief affairs officer and the shrine's head priest. If I stop working hard and lose this position, guess what will happen to me?"

After she finished speaking, she smiled helplessly, as if she thought the answer was obvious and didn't expect his reply.

Morikawa Yu was startled.

Keisuke Fujiwara sighed.

He felt that his niece was too smart, which was why she lived such a tiring life.

When he was young and working as an administrative officer, he never thought about these things and simply regarded his duties as a mission given to him by the shrine.

However, she keenly perceived the true nature of the matter and understood that it was merely an exchange. With no other solution, she accepted it all.

"Miss Fujiwara, how much do you know about the various families in Kyoto?"

Suddenly, Morikawa Yu asked a question.

"The various families? You know quite a bit about them, don't you? The affairs officers are responsible for monitoring the various families, but they are monitoring other families."

She nodded, then realized something and looked at Morikawa Yu in surprise.

"Do you want me to help you understand the various families? Does His Highness the God and His Highness Ryoko have some secret mission for you to complete?"

Morikawa Yu shook her head.

"No, I just want to hire you as my helper."

He looked at Keisuke Fujiwara.

"I was invited by your uncle, but to this day, your uncle still refuses to tell me who wanted me to come to Kyoto."

Fujiwara Keisuke was listening to him when his expression froze.

"Well, actually, every family has a share, and even my eldest brother really hopes you can come."