"Are you really a maid?" Yun Mingxin finally voiced his puzzlement after a long hesitation.

Curiosity burned too fiercely within him; he wouldn’t sleep soundly otherwise.

"Eh? Eh?!"

As if struck at her core, Nana’s innocent expression vanished instantly.

She tried her best to put on a stern face, straining to project even a hint of authority.

"Master Mingxin," she declared, puffing out her chest, "you may doubt whether I’m a woman. You may even doubt my intelligence."

"But you absolutely, positively cannot doubt I’m a maid. I *am* a maid. To question that insults my dignity."

Stunned by her intensity, Yun Mingxin froze for a moment, his own momentum faltering.

After a pause, he weakly countered, "If I doubted you weren’t a woman… you wouldn’t be a maid either, right?"

"Eh?" Nana blinked, utterly bewildered. "Oh! Right!"

"I’m so stupid! How can I possibly help Lady Yukihime like this?" Her expression visibly dimmed, sinking into dejection.

She looked ready to cry over her own foolishness, seemingly forgetting she’d just injured him and owed an apology.

*Sigh.* He’d been the one hit, yet somehow *he* felt like the bully making her cry.

Yun Mingxin gently patted her head, surprised by the silky smoothness of her hair. Up close, it carried a fresh, rain-washed lotus scent.

"Nana, you’re not from around here, are you?" he asked gently.

"Hmm. I’m from Japan. I came here with Lady Yukihime and my older sister."

Yun Mingxin now had a clearer picture: a wealthy household. And "Lady Yukihime" didn’t sound like a man’s name—so a young mistress, then?

"Nana," he continued, meeting her eyes earnestly, "if your young mistress traveled all this way and brought *you* along as her maid… doesn’t that prove you have indispensable talents?"

"It’s because of my sister!" Nana burst into louder sobs.

"Not entirely," Yun Mingxin shook his head. "Your household must have many servants. She couldn’t bring them all. Yet she chose *you* and your sister."

"R-really?" Her tears slowed slightly.

"Of course," he declared confidently, thumping his chest. "Look: you’re cute, for one. And strong—you can carry heavy equipment like this."

"You *do* have value. You and your sister are Lady Yukihime’s indispensable aides."

"Indispensable aides…" Nana repeated the words, her eyes brightening. She grabbed Yun Mingxin’s right hand and hugged it to her chest, beaming. "So my sister and I are Lady Yukihime’s right and left hands?"

Yun Mingxin nodded with a smile, subtly glancing at his trapped arm.

*Well, I’m used to this now. I’ve gotten good at hiding my inner simp.*

"But wait, Master Mingxin!" Her smile vanished. "Even if I’m useful… I still crashed into you! Waaah! X﹏X" Fresh tears welled.

*This girl is more challenging than a kindergarten child.*

He reined in his frustration and gently patted her head again.

"This isn’t entirely your fault," he said calmly. "I should’ve watched where I was going. That big piece of equipment blocked your view." He pointed to the parts workbench.

"But… your injury looks so bad!" The little maid peered pitifully at the slightly swollen bump on his forehead, her fingers brushing it lightly.

The touch stung. Yun Mingxin couldn’t suppress a sharp hiss.

*Oh no.*

"WAAAH! I’m so sorry! I’m truly sorry! Why am I so careless? I hurt Master Mingxin—I’m not a perfect maid anymore!" Tears flowed freely without restraint.

*She’s nearly twenty. How does she cry on command like this? How did she even survive childhood?*

He *had* been partly at fault—he’d never expected a girl to carry hundreds of pounds of metal. Her view was blocked; his attention had wandered. Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother soothing her.

Exhaustion seeped deeper into his bones.

"Enough. Stop crying." His voice turned firm.

The serious tone worked instantly. Her sobs choked off, her body trembling slightly as if afraid.

Yun Mingxin pointed to the bump on his head. "This was caused by what you were carrying, right?"

Nana nodded mutely.

"So you owe me for this, correct?"

Her small head shook vigorously.

"Then here’s the deal: you answer my questions to satisfy my curiosity. That’ll be your compensation. Agreed?"

The maid hesitated, weighing his words. Seeing his stern face again, she flinched hard.

After a full minute, she ventured timidly, "I won’t reveal Lady Yukihime’s secrets… She’d punish me severely if I did…"

"Relax," Yun Mingxin waved a hand. "I have zero interest in your Lady Yukihime. Just answer questions about *yourself*."

"How can you *not* be interested?!" Nana cried, suddenly frantic. "Lady Yukihime is so beautiful! So perfect! So brilliant! And way stronger than me—"

"Enough!" Yun Mingxin sighed heavily. *You forbid the question, then scold me for not asking?*

"First question: How do you carry so much weight?"

"Huh? This?" Nana patted the equipment, genuinely puzzled. "It’s easy! I’m actually one of the *weaker* servants at Lady Yukihime’s estate."

As she spoke, she hoisted the grinding bench and electron microscope—nearly 300 pounds—onto one shoulder as if they were balloons. Her expression remained utterly calm; only the bulky size hindered her.

*Weaker? This is absurd. Beyond absurd.*

*This is supposed to be a slice-of-life story, not a superpower battle manga.*

*…Though Kanna and Saiki were slice-of-life too.*

*Forget it. Stupid question.*

"Second question," he pressed on. "Since you owe me compensation… you’ll obey my orders, right?"

Nana hesitated again, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Y-yes… but don’t make me harm Lady Yukihime!"

"Fine. I won’t cross your line. My order is simple: stop crying. Consider us even. Understood?"

Yun Mingxin clapped his hands, relieved. He didn’t want more trouble. If this kept up, he felt capable of tricking Nana into bearing a whole litter of children.

*Aquamarine’s story taught us: bullying the mentally challenged is illegal.*