Chapter 5: Her Reasons – Part 3

“You see? That’s why I warned you.” Suzutsuki – who had come to my room after Konoe left – took a deep breath. “She is doing her best taking care of you, but in the end she just messes everything up. But it’s kind of my fault that she overreacted like that. I was suffering from pneumonia once when I was younger, and Konoe must have thought this was something just as serious.”

You should have told her earlier. Thanks to that I was dangerously close to getting stripped completely naked here.

“Don’t look at me with such bitter eyes. Look, I brought you a gift.” Suzutsuki took a single apple from the pocket of her apron dress.

You are giving it to me like that? You could have at least peeled it, right?

But I didn’t say that aloud. I took the apple and started chewing it.

This is juicy and delicious. I am sorry for not appreciating it at first. I now understand how good they taste.

As I was chewing the apple I heard an electronic sound. It was the signal that the thermometer under my armpit had finished measuring

Now let’s see… Whaaat?

“38.6 degrees? This is outrageous! It’s hotter than before. No wonder I thought my head was spinning.”

“Heh? Did you finally notice the charms of the maid in the front of you?” Suzutsuki took a sexy pose pulling her skirt up to the limit.

I didn’t have the energy to retort anymore. Even my breath had become labored. And no, it didn’t have anything to do with her stockings.

“Aaah, that must be it. Sorry.”

“Are you okay? If you want I can call Subaru.”

“Give me a rest. If you call her now, you can call a hearse at the same time.”

“Really? Then should I call the police?”

“Why?”

“You are looking at my stockings and are thinking ‘I want to put my head there’, aren’t you?”

“That is bullshit. I assure you that I wasn’t thinking of going that far.”

“Then, how far did you think of going?”

“That… That aside! Do something about this situation. You are her master, right?” I forcibly changed the topic of the conversation. I didn’t have the energy for this – and I had to evade this conversation about stockings.

“That’s impossible. While we are in this house, Subaru and I are rivals. While we have this rule she will not hear any of my orders.”

“That’s cruel”

“Why don’t you just accept it?”

“This is not funny!”

“We will be sure to take your corpse to the crematorium and make a roasted chicken out of it.”

“You are planning to put me up at a Christmas party or something?”

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Is it already decided that I am going to be eaten?”

“Oh, sorry, my condolences(1).”

“And that’s supposed to be better?”

Expressionless, Suzutsuki put her hands together and started to pray.

Hey, that’s not a joke! Please stop that! At this rate I won’t get better from the cold, it will only worsen! Please save me, Mr. Black Jack!(2)

Suzutsuki stopped and turned serious again. “But you’re really partly to blame for things turning out like this.”

“What are you saying?” Well, I did catch a cold because I didn’t take care of myself well enough, but… Konoe becoming worried about me dying from a disease is hardly my fault.

“You don’t get it? The reason why Subaru get so eagerly to care about sick people is because her mother died from a disease,” Suzutsuki said slowly. “Subaru’s mother died from a disease 10 years ago. This is clearly just my opinion, but I think that normally people tend to try to forget such memories. But Subaru is the opposite. She really doesn’t want to forget her mother, and then she ends up glorifying her in her memories.”

“Glorifying?”

“Yes. And a lot. That’s why as the years pass, instead of losing color, her memories of her mother shine more and more – and at the same time the memory of losing her hurts more.” Suzutsuki kept talking with a serious tone. “That’s why she ends up overdoing things. When she sees someone lying on the ground like her mother…”

I see, so that’s why Konoe tried so hard… But she is really overdoing it! It’s not as if I have a mortal illness.

“But that reason doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

“It does. Jirou-kun. You lied to Subaru about your father being on a trip, right?”

“Geh”

“I thought it was strange. When you fell to the ground, Surbaru became very pale.”

“Pale?” When I was lying on the ground? But how I was found out?

“I told you before, that when you fell to the ground Kureha-chan was very upset. She said ‘What should I do if my brother also dies!’”

“…”

That’s bad. For Konoe to learn about my father – and in the worst possible way at that.

“I heard from Kureha-chan, that you lost your father to a disease. That’s why it must have been a real shock for Kureha, too, right? Someone of your family fainting from a disease.”

That’s possible… No, not just ‘possible’ – it has to have been a real shock for her. Maybe it’s because of the Spartan way our mother raised us, but since I can remember neither me nor Kureha ever catching any disease – that’s why, she isn’t used to it.

Even though every once in a while someone passes out from a wrestling move, she doesn’t have any experience with such normal things as a family member catching a cold or something.

But this time it happened, and I remembered…

It’s a vague memory, but my father was always passing out from some disease. To Kureha, seeing me fall like that must have looked just like with our father at that time.

And to make it even worse.

“So Subaru found out about your lie with the worst timing… and there’s one more bad factor there.” Without warning Suzutsuki reached her hands to my face and removed my glasses. “Jirou-kun, when you remove your glasses you look just like your father.”

I see. While Kureha has inherited her looks from our mother, I come more after our father. Once, when she was drunk, mother even said ‘You are really like him when he was young.’ That must also have something to do with Kureha’s state. She told me once that as I aged I was becoming more and more like our father.

But what does that have to do with Suzutsuki and Konoe know… Ah, that picture in the living room. It is showing Kureha, mother, father and me. I don’t think I should say it myself, but in that picture our father really looks very much like me… or rather I look really like him.

It would be really troublesome if Konoe looked at that picture and started to believe that I am like my father and have a really weak body.

“Of course, Subaru knows that you and your father are different. Kureha-chan also explained that. But, she can’t help but to be conscious about it. ‘This person might die too. Like his father did… Like my mother did.’”

“…”

That’s true. That’s the reason why Konoe tried to take care of me so desperately.

“But no matter how hard she works to nurse someone, it just backfires. You have experienced her treatment yourself, right?”

Suzutsuki’s voice had a dark tone to it as if she was reliving a memory of the past. “Telling you that she has something to help you sleep and pulling a stun gun… Telling you that she will wipe your sweat and trying to remove your clothes by force… Telling you that she brought some medicine and making you eat some random herb…Telling you that she will lower your body temperature and using a green onion… green onion… green…”

“Hey, calm down Suzutsuki. I get it. You also had to overcome various situations.”

Suzutsuki trembled in fear as she remembered her past trauma.

I still didn’t experience the latter part. What did she use the green onion for? Well, my body might next – if things stay like this I will end up understanding….

“Ah, and as your condition worsens, her treatments also escalate, and it makes your condition even worse. And then over and over… Isn’t it wonderful this vicious circle? Ufufu.”

“Don’t laugh. This seriously isn’t a laughing matter.”

It really is a vicious circle. It’s just like Japan’s economy – the way the things go worse and worse is just the same.

“Well, do your best. While you get nursed by Subaru I will play with Kureha and Kojirou.”

“Hey, wait!”

I pulled the edge of Suztsuki’s skirt in desperation as she tried to leave the room. If I did something like this in the streets a two-color car would come rushing with the sirens screaming, but now it didn’t go like that.

“You perv! You want to take my skirt off that much?”

“Don’t say something stupid! If I tried to remove the skirt of a maid it would lose the meaning of its existence!”

“Looks like you fever rose again. Or are those just your true colors?” Suzutsuki made a complicated expression.

Visit readlightnovel.me for extra chapters.

“This is not the time to be joking around. I beg you, help me. If I am attacked while I’m weakened from an illness I won’t last even a second. You understand that, right?”

In Suzutsuki’s case it was pneumonia. But because of my gynophobia her administrations might put me in a critical condition.

“Hmm, you know…”

“What is it? Is there any problem?”

“To tell you the truth, Kojirou just learned the hand trick, if learns stuff like that so easily, wouldn’t it be great to have him in the Amazing Animals show someday?”

“It’s not time to try to teach the dog some weird tricks. And that show has already been cancelled.”

“Eh… You’re joking, aren’t you? It’s not possible… That show was the greatest…”

“Why are you so shocked by that?”

She likes it that much? Well, that program was really interesting, but…

“But, that was so cute…”

“Well, I have to agree that the animals were indeed cute, but…“

“You suddenly feel like wanting to hug Minochan(3), right?”

“Why him?”

“I always watch the Asa Zuba(4) and record each episode on a blu-ray.”

“Even though it airs every morning?”

“He sure is cute, right? Minochan, I mean.”

“Stop it! If you say that his image will break!”

“But Jirou-kun is just as cute.”

“The way you’re telling me now, strangely doesn’t make me happy!” I shout and promptly end up having a coughing fit.

Damn, Now even my throat hurts. My body is being steadily undermined by some virus.

“That was a lie,” Suzutsuki laughed. “But more importantly… This is give and take. If you want my help, you have to help me, too.”

“Help?”

“Yes, if you think about the reason why I came to this house you will understand.”

The reason why Suzutsuki, came to this house…To make fun of her butler… No. The reason why this Ojou-sama came to our house to start with was…

“…to take Konoe back to the Mansion.”

“That’s right. That’s about it. Then, what is the reason why Subaru is nursing you?”

“Because… she is my butler?”

“Yes, Subaru is now your butler, and you are her master. That’s why Subaru has to nurse you no matter what. So we just have to destroy this relationship completely.”

I see. She is my butler, so she has to nurse me. If she ceases to be my butler, she won’t have to nurse me anymore.

“So, if we take Konoe back to the mansion…”

“She will cease to be your butler. And what’s more, when she gets there, she will be busy with her job and won’t be able to come to your house to nurse you. Do you understand now master?” Suzutsuki smiled with a pretty expression just like a real servant.

Aaah. Really, you are such a dependable maid. You are the best, Suzutsuki Kanade.

“But how are you going to take her back to the mansion? Are you planning to have another Butler versus Maid contest?”

“No, for the time being let’s just go.” Suzutsuki handed me a jacket that she pulled from the closet.

“Hey, where are we going?” I asked her while holding the jacket’s sleeve. It was now 5.30PM, and it was already getting darker outside.

“Isn’t that clear? We are going to the place where the reason why Konoe came to your house lies.”

“Reason?”

“Yes. I haven’t told you yet. Subaru asked me to not tell anyone about this, but since it’s come to this point there’s nothing else we can do,” Suzutsuki said after lowering her head.

“The reason is a family fight, Jirou-kun.”

“A family fight?”

Did she have a fight with her old man?

“Konoe Nagare. You remember him, right? They had a little fight, and because of that they were driven from the mansion. So if we can get them to make peace, all of our problems will be solved.”

Suzutsuki raised the hem of her dress and bowed. “Then… let’s go see him… Let’s go see Konoe Nagare,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

 

TRANSLATOR NOTES

(1) In Japanese “Thanks for the meal” (Gochisou-sama) and “My condolences” (Goshuushou-sama) are only one syllable apart.
(2) Refers to the protagonist of a manga with the same name.
(3) Mino Monta (aka Minochan) was the presenter of Amazing Animals.
(4) A morning program on TBS that was also presented by Mino Monta till 2014.

Chapter 5: Her Reasons – Part 3

“You see? That’s why I warned you.” Suzutsuki – who had come to my room after Konoe left – took a deep breath. “She is doing her best taking care of you, but in the end she just messes everything up. But it’s kind of my fault that she overreacted like that. I was suffering from pneumonia once when I was younger, and Konoe must have thought this was something just as serious.”

You should have told her earlier. Thanks to that I was dangerously close to getting stripped completely naked here.

“Don’t look at me with such bitter eyes. Look, I brought you a gift.” Suzutsuki took a single apple from the pocket of her apron dress.

You are giving it to me like that? You could have at least peeled it, right?

But I didn’t say that aloud. I took the apple and started chewing it.

This is juicy and delicious. I am sorry for not appreciating it at first. I now understand how good they taste.

As I was chewing the apple I heard an electronic sound. It was the signal that the thermometer under my armpit had finished measuring

Now let’s see… Whaaat?

“38.6 degrees? This is outrageous! It’s hotter than before. No wonder I thought my head was spinning.”

“Heh? Did you finally notice the charms of the maid in the front of you?” Suzutsuki took a sexy pose pulling her skirt up to the limit.

I didn’t have the energy to retort anymore. Even my breath had become labored. And no, it didn’t have anything to do with her stockings.

“Aaah, that must be it. Sorry.”

“Are you okay? If you want I can call Subaru.”

“Give me a rest. If you call her now, you can call a hearse at the same time.”

“Really? Then should I call the police?”

“Why?”

“You are looking at my stockings and are thinking ‘I want to put my head there’, aren’t you?”

“That is bullshit. I assure you that I wasn’t thinking of going that far.”

“Then, how far did you think of going?”

“That… That aside! Do something about this situation. You are her master, right?” I forcibly changed the topic of the conversation. I didn’t have the energy for this – and I had to evade this conversation about stockings.

“That’s impossible. While we are in this house, Subaru and I are rivals. While we have this rule she will not hear any of my orders.”

“That’s cruel”

“Why don’t you just accept it?”

“This is not funny!”

“We will be sure to take your corpse to the crematorium and make a roasted chicken out of it.”

“You are planning to put me up at a Christmas party or something?”

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Is it already decided that I am going to be eaten?”

“Oh, sorry, my condolences(1).”

“And that’s supposed to be better?”

Expressionless, Suzutsuki put her hands together and started to pray.

Hey, that’s not a joke! Please stop that! At this rate I won’t get better from the cold, it will only worsen! Please save me, Mr. Black Jack!(2)

Suzutsuki stopped and turned serious again. “But you’re really partly to blame for things turning out like this.”

“What are you saying?” Well, I did catch a cold because I didn’t take care of myself well enough, but… Konoe becoming worried about me dying from a disease is hardly my fault.

“You don’t get it? The reason why Subaru get so eagerly to care about sick people is because her mother died from a disease,” Suzutsuki said slowly. “Subaru’s mother died from a disease 10 years ago. This is clearly just my opinion, but I think that normally people tend to try to forget such memories. But Subaru is the opposite. She really doesn’t want to forget her mother, and then she ends up glorifying her in her memories.”

“Glorifying?”

“Yes. And a lot. That’s why as the years pass, instead of losing color, her memories of her mother shine more and more – and at the same time the memory of losing her hurts more.” Suzutsuki kept talking with a serious tone. “That’s why she ends up overdoing things. When she sees someone lying on the ground like her mother…”

I see, so that’s why Konoe tried so hard… But she is really overdoing it! It’s not as if I have a mortal illness.

“But that reason doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

“It does. Jirou-kun. You lied to Subaru about your father being on a trip, right?”

“Geh”

“I thought it was strange. When you fell to the ground, Surbaru became very pale.”

“Pale?” When I was lying on the ground? But how I was found out?

“I told you before, that when you fell to the ground Kureha-chan was very upset. She said ‘What should I do if my brother also dies!’”

“…”

That’s bad. For Konoe to learn about my father – and in the worst possible way at that.

“I heard from Kureha-chan, that you lost your father to a disease. That’s why it must have been a real shock for Kureha, too, right? Someone of your family fainting from a disease.”

That’s possible… No, not just ‘possible’ – it has to have been a real shock for her. Maybe it’s because of the Spartan way our mother raised us, but since I can remember neither me nor Kureha ever catching any disease – that’s why, she isn’t used to it.

Even though every once in a while someone passes out from a wrestling move, she doesn’t have any experience with such normal things as a family member catching a cold or something.

But this time it happened, and I remembered…

It’s a vague memory, but my father was always passing out from some disease. To Kureha, seeing me fall like that must have looked just like with our father at that time.

And to make it even worse.

“So Subaru found out about your lie with the worst timing… and there’s one more bad factor there.” Without warning Suzutsuki reached her hands to my face and removed my glasses. “Jirou-kun, when you remove your glasses you look just like your father.”

I see. While Kureha has inherited her looks from our mother, I come more after our father. Once, when she was drunk, mother even said ‘You are really like him when he was young.’ That must also have something to do with Kureha’s state. She told me once that as I aged I was becoming more and more like our father.

But what does that have to do with Suzutsuki and Konoe know… Ah, that picture in the living room. It is showing Kureha, mother, father and me. I don’t think I should say it myself, but in that picture our father really looks very much like me… or rather I look really like him.

It would be really troublesome if Konoe looked at that picture and started to believe that I am like my father and have a really weak body.

“Of course, Subaru knows that you and your father are different. Kureha-chan also explained that. But, she can’t help but to be conscious about it. ‘This person might die too. Like his father did… Like my mother did.’”

“…”

That’s true. That’s the reason why Konoe tried to take care of me so desperately.

“But no matter how hard she works to nurse someone, it just backfires. You have experienced her treatment yourself, right?”

Suzutsuki’s voice had a dark tone to it as if she was reliving a memory of the past. “Telling you that she has something to help you sleep and pulling a stun gun… Telling you that she will wipe your sweat and trying to remove your clothes by force… Telling you that she brought some medicine and making you eat some random herb…Telling you that she will lower your body temperature and using a green onion… green onion… green…”

“Hey, calm down Suzutsuki. I get it. You also had to overcome various situations.”

Suzutsuki trembled in fear as she remembered her past trauma.

I still didn’t experience the latter part. What did she use the green onion for? Well, my body might next – if things stay like this I will end up understanding….

“Ah, and as your condition worsens, her treatments also escalate, and it makes your condition even worse. And then over and over… Isn’t it wonderful this vicious circle? Ufufu.”

“Don’t laugh. This seriously isn’t a laughing matter.”

It really is a vicious circle. It’s just like Japan’s economy – the way the things go worse and worse is just the same.

“Well, do your best. While you get nursed by Subaru I will play with Kureha and Kojirou.”

“Hey, wait!”

I pulled the edge of Suztsuki’s skirt in desperation as she tried to leave the room. If I did something like this in the streets a two-color car would come rushing with the sirens screaming, but now it didn’t go like that.

“You perv! You want to take my skirt off that much?”

“Don’t say something stupid! If I tried to remove the skirt of a maid it would lose the meaning of its existence!”

“Looks like you fever rose again. Or are those just your true colors?” Suzutsuki made a complicated expression.

Visit readlightnovel.me for extra chapters.

“This is not the time to be joking around. I beg you, help me. If I am attacked while I’m weakened from an illness I won’t last even a second. You understand that, right?”

In Suzutsuki’s case it was pneumonia. But because of my gynophobia her administrations might put me in a critical condition.

“Hmm, you know…”

“What is it? Is there any problem?”

“To tell you the truth, Kojirou just learned the hand trick, if learns stuff like that so easily, wouldn’t it be great to have him in the Amazing Animals show someday?”

“It’s not time to try to teach the dog some weird tricks. And that show has already been cancelled.”

“Eh… You’re joking, aren’t you? It’s not possible… That show was the greatest…”

“Why are you so shocked by that?”

She likes it that much? Well, that program was really interesting, but…

“But, that was so cute…”

“Well, I have to agree that the animals were indeed cute, but…“

“You suddenly feel like wanting to hug Minochan(3), right?”

“Why him?”

“I always watch the Asa Zuba(4) and record each episode on a blu-ray.”

“Even though it airs every morning?”

“He sure is cute, right? Minochan, I mean.”

“Stop it! If you say that his image will break!”

“But Jirou-kun is just as cute.”

“The way you’re telling me now, strangely doesn’t make me happy!” I shout and promptly end up having a coughing fit.

Damn, Now even my throat hurts. My body is being steadily undermined by some virus.

“That was a lie,” Suzutsuki laughed. “But more importantly… This is give and take. If you want my help, you have to help me, too.”

“Help?”

“Yes, if you think about the reason why I came to this house you will understand.”

The reason why Suzutsuki, came to this house…To make fun of her butler… No. The reason why this Ojou-sama came to our house to start with was…

“…to take Konoe back to the Mansion.”

“That’s right. That’s about it. Then, what is the reason why Subaru is nursing you?”

“Because… she is my butler?”

“Yes, Subaru is now your butler, and you are her master. That’s why Subaru has to nurse you no matter what. So we just have to destroy this relationship completely.”

I see. She is my butler, so she has to nurse me. If she ceases to be my butler, she won’t have to nurse me anymore.

“So, if we take Konoe back to the mansion…”

“She will cease to be your butler. And what’s more, when she gets there, she will be busy with her job and won’t be able to come to your house to nurse you. Do you understand now master?” Suzutsuki smiled with a pretty expression just like a real servant.

Aaah. Really, you are such a dependable maid. You are the best, Suzutsuki Kanade.

“But how are you going to take her back to the mansion? Are you planning to have another Butler versus Maid contest?”

“No, for the time being let’s just go.” Suzutsuki handed me a jacket that she pulled from the closet.

“Hey, where are we going?” I asked her while holding the jacket’s sleeve. It was now 5.30PM, and it was already getting darker outside.

“Isn’t that clear? We are going to the place where the reason why Konoe came to your house lies.”

“Reason?”

“Yes. I haven’t told you yet. Subaru asked me to not tell anyone about this, but since it’s come to this point there’s nothing else we can do,” Suzutsuki said after lowering her head.

“The reason is a family fight, Jirou-kun.”

“A family fight?”

Did she have a fight with her old man?

“Konoe Nagare. You remember him, right? They had a little fight, and because of that they were driven from the mansion. So if we can get them to make peace, all of our problems will be solved.”

Suzutsuki raised the hem of her dress and bowed. “Then… let’s go see him… Let’s go see Konoe Nagare,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

 

TRANSLATOR NOTES

(1) In Japanese “Thanks for the meal” (Gochisou-sama) and “My condolences” (Goshuushou-sama) are only one syllable apart.

(2) Refers to the protagonist of a manga with the same name.

(3) Mino Monta (aka Minochan) was the presenter of Amazing Animals.

(4) A morning program on TBS that was also presented by Mino Monta till 2014.