The next morning.
“...Mm, it’s already six thirty.”
Crisp birdsong spilled through the window like silver chimes. I rubbed my eyes, sat up, and glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Okay, change clothes, wash up, then start breakfast.”
Somewhere along the way, I took over all three meals. I like cooking, so there’s no complaint—just the quiet warmth of a kitchen fire.
I reached for my uniform—
“Servant, no classes today. Wear a maid dress.”
Fresh from sleep, Xinuo tossed me a short-sleeved maid outfit; the skirt skimmed my thighs like a fast current.
“Uh... fine.”
Women’s clothes either way. I can’t refuse Xinuo. I sighed, soft as steam, and slipped into the maid dress.
“I’ll go make breakfast first, Littlesky. Wait a bit.”
“Okay. Hurry.”
Her reply landed light as a feather. I nodded and headed for the washroom, the tiles cool as dew.
—Wash up first, then cook.
...
Near seven thirty, I carried breakfast back into the room, the trays warm as sunrise.
Eastern Moon Aixue and Faya hadn’t arrived. No class today—they were likely sleeping in, under quilted clouds.
“Oh! Smells amazing!”
Hill, true to form, spotted me and dove into my arms like a playful sparrow.
“Honestly, Hill, every time?”
I set today’s breakfast on the table—pan-fried eggs, miso soup, steamed fish, tofu with scallion, and white rice—then pinched Hill’s soft cheeks, pliant as mochi.
“Hehe, because Boss’s arms feel so cozy!”
She tipped her face up, grinning like sunlight on fresh snow.
“Servant, Hill, stop fooling around. Eat.”
Already seated, Xinuo’s calm gaze slid our way, cool as moonlight on water.
“Mm, got it.”
“Breakfast time!”
I pulled out a chair—
Knock knock!
A knock drummed at the door, steady as rain on a roof.
“I’ll go. Be right back.”
I left that line behind me and walked to the door, curiosity rising like mist.
“At this hour... who? Aixue and Faya?”
I wondered as I turned the handle and opened the door—
“Brother!”
Something soft and fragrant flew into my arms, hugging my waist tight, warmth blooming like spring.
“Uh, Littlesky?”
I looked down. A cute loli with a waterfall of silver hair clung to me, eyes gleaming like lake-light.
She was my little sister—Yumigawa Nozomi. But why was she here, blown in like a surprise breeze?
Sensing my question, my sister lifted her adorable face, eyes clear as sapphires, voice bright as bells:
“I wanted so badly to be with you, so I came to find you!”
“Oh, I see. You worked hard.”
A smile had already dawned. I petted her beautiful silver hair, fingers flowing through it like water over silk.
“Hm?”
Only then did I notice two more figures behind her, outlined like silhouettes at dusk...
One was a golden-haired beauty in blue-and-white knight’s wear and knee-high boots. Her dazzling hair was bound with a simple ribbon, baring a porcelain-smooth nape.
The other was a blue-haired, green-eyed girl in a pale green dress, studying me with curious eyes, bright as new leaves.
My sister had brought someone formidable indeed, because that golden-haired beauty was—
“Long time no see, Qianji Sister.”
She was my eldest sister, Yumigawa Senki, prodigy of the Mizumi Clan’s younger generation, talent sharp as a blade.
“Mm. I saw photos, but seeing Emperor in a maid dress still surprises me.”
Qianji Sister’s expression wavered, rippling like wind across rice fields.
“Uh, Qianji Sister?”
I let go of my sister and gave Qianji Sister a puzzled look, brows lifting like small wings.
“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just been so long, and you suddenly became such a stunning beauty. As your sister, I’m a little shocked.”
She shook her head, stepped up, then—
“It really has been forever, Emperor.”
She hugged me tight, warmth closing around me like a quilt in winter.
“?! What’s happening?”
My vision went dark. My head sank into something soft and blissful, scent drifting like a garden at dusk.
“Mm, Emperor’s hair is so silky.”
Qianji Sister stroked my head, gentle as wind over grass. Comfort spread, slow as honey.
After a moment, she let go, satisfied, a smile settling like a calm sea.
“Right, and she is?”
I tilted my head at the blue-haired, green-eyed girl behind Qianji Sister, curiosity pricking like rain.
“Ah, I haven’t introduced her.”
My sister waved quickly, words tumbling like beads: “This is Xiaoya, my new contract spirit. Don’t be fooled—she’s strong! She’s the Wind Spirit King.”
“Hm? Wind Spirit King...”
The title rang a bell, echoing like a canyon breeze. I closed my eyes and thought for a beat.
I opened them, the guess sharp as a spear: “Are you the Wind Spirit King from Wind Valley?”
“Correct.”
The blue-haired, green-eyed girl nodded, simple as a leaf acknowledging the wind.
“I am the Wind Spirit King of Wind Valley—Elyar. You must be Littlesky’s brother, Yumigawa Sumeragi?”
Odd. She’d just heard my sister call me brother, yet Elyar’s gaze still held a knot, tight as a bowstring.
“Yeah. Any problem?”
“Mm. I saw photos beforehand, but I didn’t expect the real you to be even more pretty and cute!”
Elyar’s appraisal rolled over me like a warm breeze, then a sudden praise spilled out.
“Ehehe, thanks.”
Heat rose to my cheeks like dawn. I twined a strand of hair around my finger, shy as a fawn.
“It’s praise, sure, but our Servant reacting like that...”
From behind came a stare, sharp as a needle, as if I were some weirdo pinned in a case.
“Master, Boss is naturally pretty and cute. What’s the issue?”
Hill’s puzzled voice chimed in, light as bells.
“The description’s fine. But he’s a man. Being called pretty and cute—he’s not mad; he’s shy. And he looks pleased, which is just...”
Xinuo muttered as she and Hill came to stand beside me, words drifting like clouds.
“Emperor, and they are?”
Qianji Sister glanced at Xinuo and Hill, then focused back on me, attention steady as a spear tip.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced them. Xinuo and Hill are—”
I started introducing Xinuo and Qianji Sister to each other, names crossing like threads.
When I finished—
“Oh, so you’re Yumigawa Senki? I heard about your exploits from our Servant, but in person you seem even more impressive.”
For some reason, Xinuo looked at Qianji Sister with keen interest, eyes bright as flint.
