“You really like maid outfits, huh?” Liu Su said, her words carrying a hint of mockery. She’d seen all the anime maid figures I’d bought, not to mention the way I’d just been rubbing my face against a body pillow with a creepy grin.
“A shut-in like me, who hardly ever goes out, would naturally love to have a maid at home to cook and do the laundry—and maybe flirt with me a little, too.” There was a double meaning to my words. And honestly, it was true. I did have some less-than-wholesome thoughts about Liu Su, but I’d never acted on them. I’d always treated her with at least superficial politeness. Then she took all my money and still couldn’t even be nice to me, so of course I wanted to get a jab in.
It wasn’t that I expected her to repay me for helping her. It was just that, barring any surprises, I’d be spending quite a while living with Liu Su. If someone treated me coldly every single day, I definitely wouldn’t be comfortable with that.
“……” Liu Su didn’t reply. Her face was just a little red, probably because she’d remembered the fiasco from this morning.
For a while, neither of us said anything. I just kept quietly unpacking everything. I’d bought quite a lot this time.
“Thank you for not insisting I wear those kinds of clothes, and for not doing anything too… outrageous.” Liu Su had picked up on the dissatisfaction in my words, and thanked me. “And thank you and Sister Ji Ruoyan for helping me out of such a huge mess. If you really need me to, I can…”
Liu Su’s voice grew so faint that it was practically a whisper. Her face had turned red, too, and I couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“Uh, what was that?” I asked, feeling a little awkward. Had my jab just upset her?
“It’s nothing. I just meant that if you wanted me to, I could be your m-maid…” Liu Su had meant to say something else, but at the last second, she forced herself to change course. “Your family took so much money from you, and you’ve helped me so many times. I should repay you properly…”
“You’ve misunderstood me. I didn’t mean anything like that. Let me make myself clear.” I set down what I was holding and looked Liu Su right in the eye.
“Honestly, Liu Su, you’re a really beautiful girl. Any guy in my position would be lying if he said he didn’t have impure thoughts about you. But I, Chu Turan, have my limits. I’d never force a good girl into prostitution or use a favor to demand repayment. I, Chu Turan, would never do something like that.” I felt more upright and righteous than ever as I said it. I was Justice Man!
“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant… I…” Liu Su’s face was red as she tried to explain herself in a small voice, but the rest was too quiet for me to hear.
I cut off Liu Su’s explanation. “Liu Su, seriously, I’m not used to dealing with girls I don’t know. If I’ve been too forward at any point, that’s my fault. But please trust me—I won’t go behind your back and do anything shameless.”
My voice did falter a little as I said that. After all, just that morning, I’d breathed in the sweet scent of a girl fresh out of the shower while I was in the bathroom. But that really was all I’d done.
“I…” Liu Su looked up at me, as if she wanted to say something. In the end, though, she just bit her lower lip and said, “I understand.”
As she spoke, Liu Su stood up, ready to return to her room.
“Wait.” I hurriedly picked up the small package from the pile, stood up, and held it out to her.
“I noticed your phone was really old, so I got you a new one when I passed a phone shop.” My voice trembled a little. It was the first time I’d ever given a girl a present.
“You didn’t have to. I’m not used to other models.” Was Liu Su about to refuse my gift?
“I got the same brand as yours, just the latest model. I already bought it, and it’s pink—I can’t exactly use it myself.” I kept trying to persuade her, hoping Liu Su would accept it.
“Thank you.” Liu Su took the phone from my slightly trembling hands, then went into her room.
I carried my three body pillows into the bathroom to wash them. I had to get my wives clean. Yeah, they’d probably be dry by tomorrow.
After washing them and hanging them out on the balcony, I stood there with my hands on my hips, proudly admiring the three body pillows hanging in the sunlight as I imagined how I’d enjoy them tomorrow.
In her room, Liu Su was assembling a water gun meant for little kids. Her expression was positively hostile.
The afternoon passed peacefully. I set up the figures I’d brought back from the anime convention and washed my body pillows, while Liu Su stayed in her room, doing who knew what.
I have to say, the body pillows I picked out this time were really cute. A lot of people have this weird prejudice about anime body pillows: they assume they’re all covered in super lewd designs. But that’s not really true. A lot of the expensive ones aren’t especially revealing at all. Some are even more modestly dressed than the characters themselves. Maybe it’s to keep the design from getting old, or to make them suitable for more situations. Otherwise, imagine having a super lewd body pillow in your room when your parents decide to clean it. You’d be so dead when you got home.
Faint voices and music drifted from Liu Su’s room. The soundproofing in my place was pretty good, though. Even when someone spoke a little loudly in there, not much noise carried outside.
I was a little curious about what Liu Su was watching, but there was no need to snoop. We had plenty of time. Before I knew it, I’d already accepted the fact that Liu Su would be staying at my place.
After putting away the last figure, I checked the time, tied on an apron, and got ready to cook for once.
I opened the fridge. It was mostly full of frozen convenience food. Damn it. I’d been a little excited about making dinner for a girl, but I’d forgotten that I’d spent nearly the past ten years as a single guy…
There were a few staples in the fridge, but they were all things like white bread, instant noodles, and eggs—food that could be stored for a long time. Making a proper dinner was pretty much out of the question.
While I stood staring blankly into the fridge, Liu Su opened her door and came out. She saw me standing there in an apron and chuckled. “I’ll make dinner.”
“Uh…” I hesitated, unsure what to say.
“My cooking’s pretty good. Besides, the contract says I’m supposed to take care of you.” Liu Su picked up another apron nearby and put it on.
“No, it’s not that, I…” I was too embarrassed to admit that I’d realized there was nothing in the fridge to make dinner with.
“Stop being so awkward. I’ll make something.” Liu Su casually yanked open the fridge door. “Home cooking is what I do best.” The three eggs inside stared at her like Erlang Shen, and that was about all there was.
“No, Liu Su, you’ve misunderstood. There’s barely anything in the fridge that we can have for dinner.” I awkwardly explained.
“……” Liu Su, who’d been so determined just a moment ago, suddenly looked a little embarrassed.
“What ingredients do you need? I’ll go buy them.” I took off my apron, dropped it on a chair, pulled a few bills from a drawer, and got ready to go buy what Liu Su needed.
“Let’s go together. I don’t know the neighborhood yet, so you can show me around.” Liu Su made the suggestion.
The chance to go shopping with a pretty girl naturally made me very happy. I lived pretty far from the school, so I didn’t have to worry about any students recognizing me. And even if they did, so what?
Liu Su was so pretty that I couldn’t help feeling a little proud to be seen with her. I hated being the center of attention, but having a beautiful girl beside me still felt great.
“Sure.” I agreed, then changed into my outdoor shoes.
Liu Su crouched down nearby and started putting on her shoes, too. She’d changed out of the maid outfit she’d worn that morning and into something youthful: a simple beige shirt on top, a black skirt that fell to her knees, and white thigh-high socks.
Forgive me, but this was the first time I’d ever had a girl change her shoes right beside me. Ji Ruoyan often “massaged” me with her high heels, but I’d been in so much pain then that I could hardly appreciate anything.
Maybe I’d been staring too intently at Liu Su’s thigh-high socks. She seemed to notice my gaze and smiled at me, though she didn’t say anything to scold me.
But I felt guilty, so I quickly looked away, opened the door, and gestured for her to go ahead.
The shoes Liu Su put on were a pair of flats that had already been sitting in the shoe cabinet. Looks like she’d been prepared to go shopping, too.
