Chapter 27.5: The Ice Lady and the Housekeeper

Author’s Note:

This chapter is imported from the light novel ver.

Due to the development of the story, it needs to be mentioned in the web version as well, so I posted it.

There are also new episodes that are exclusive for the light novel, so please look forward to it.

(TL note: This chapter is posted 9 months after chapter 27)

A few days after starting a relationship with his cool and blunt neighbor, teaching each other’s expertise.

When Asahi returned to his apartment after shopping for dinner, he saw an unknown woman coming out of where Fuyuka lived.

She was tall, maybe as tall or taller than Asahi. Combined with her slender figure, she looked good in a business suit.

“Sigh…”

The woman looked at the nameplate that read “Himuro” and discreetly brushed her semi-long black hair. The small sigh seemed to be an exhalation of irritation, but she seemed to be worried about something.

‘Is that Himuro’s mother?’

The first thing that came to mind was a family member, but their faces didn’t look similar. If it wasn’t her mother, then it was probably a relative. He didn’t know who the woman was, but since she came out of the house, she must be close to Fuyuka.

“Good evening.”

The woman greeted Asahi when she noticed him.

“…Good evening.”

Asahi also returned the greeting and quickly tried to return to his room.

“Are you, by any chance, Kagami Asahi-kun?”

“…How did you know my name?”

“I heard it from Miss Fuyuka.” 

The woman looked at Asahi’s face and the nameplate of the Kagami Family, “I see.” and proceeds to nod.

However, Asahi was not able to follow the situation at all. He couldn’t help but be bothered by the way she called Fuyuka, “Ojou-sama.”

“Forgive me. I am a housekeeper of the Himuro Family, Tachibana Kaori.”

Perhaps noticing the bewildered Asahi, the woman named Kaori, politely introduced herself. Maybe she had switched from off mode since her tone was brisk.

It seems that the rumor that Fuyuka was a woman of a high status was true. The sudden appearance of the housekeeper confirmed that Fuyuka had a good upbringing.

“Please take care of Miss Fuyuka. You may think that person is cold-hearted, and ruthless, but in reality she is delicate and vulnerable so…”

That was all Kaori said, and after bowing deeply, she walked past Asahi.

‘Take care of her, huh?’

He had no idea what he was supposed to do. At the moment, all Asahi could do was to teach her how to cook.

“Delicate and vulnerable, huh?”

Remembering Kaori’s words, Asahi slowly turned the key to his house. At the same time, he heard the sound of his neighbor’s door unlocking with a click.

“Yo, I just came back from shopping.”

“Is that so?”

He looked at his watch and saw that it was five minutes before the meeting time. It was just about time to gather.

“Come in, it’s cold out here.”

“…Um.”

Fuyuka, who looked somewhat awkward, stopped Asahi at the entrance.

“Have you seen a woman in a suit just now?”

“Yeah, I heard that she’s your housekeeper.”

“How did you..”

“She introduced herself earlier.”

“She is…”

Fuyuka, who had shed a small tear, eventually turned to face Asahi as if she had made up her mind.

“Kagami-san. I’d like to have a word with you later.”

—

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

After they finished eating dinner and washed the dishes. Asahi brought up a subject that had been put off for a while.

“It’s about that person… Tachibana-san.”

According to Fuyuka, Kaori was definitely the housekeeper of the Himuro Family and she was not just a housekeeper, she seemed to be a housekeeper for the whole Himuro Family, and an excellent employee working exclusively for them.

“I knew it. You’re a great young lady.”

“It’s not me who’s great, though, it’s my father… Since I’ve started living alone in this house, he’s sent me a housekeeper.”

“I see. That’s why you were able to get by living alone.”

“…Are you making fun of me by any chance?”

“You’re just imagining things.”

As Asahi glossed it over, Fuyuka let out a small sigh.

“Tachibana-san has been taking care of all the household chores, including managing my meals. As you said, she’s helped me a lot in my life here.”

“Hmm, that’s nice… Hm? Hold on.”

Fuyuka’s story caught him off guard, and Asahi opened his mouth after sorting out everything that had happened so far.

“If you have a housekeeper, why haven’t you relied on her before?”

What Asahi was referring to was the time from when Fuyuka fell ill with fever and until today. During the time when she had collapsed from the fever or injured her hand, she would have had the presence of a housekeeper without having to rely on Asahi.

Even now, she could have chosen to have her housekeeper teach her how to cook instead of Asahi.

“That’s because… of family reasons, Tachibana-san took a break for a while.”

“I see. So that was a greeting to say that she was back.”

“No, rather the opposite. She said it would be a long time before she could return to work. And suggested that I hire someone else.”

Fuyuka’s expression was a little sad as she explained the situation without hesitation. As Kaori was worried about Fuyuka’s well being, Fuyuka may also have some thoughts about Kaori.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

“I’ll wait… until Tachibana-san returns.”

“…What about the chores?”

“…I knew you were making fun of me.”

She glared at him. But in reality, it was doubtful whether Fuyuka could do housework. He hadn’t mentioned it, but it was something he was secretly worried about.

“It’s not like Tachibana-san is here every time, so sometimes I even do the cleaning and laundry.”

“That’s true.”

If that’s the case, Asahi’s worries were unfounded. Except for one thing.

“What about meals?”

“…I’ve been having instant meals.”

“As I thought, it’s still hopeless.”

He knew that Fuyuka was hopeless at cooking, or at least not good at it. She had always relied on her housekeeper, so he was quite worried about her meals.

“…There’s still you.”

“What?”

“I said…”

She replied back in a small voice that didn’t seem to be dominating, however, this time Fuyuka’s tone became unusually stronger.

“Have you already forgotten the agreement yesterday!”

“Oh, yeah.”

In other words, she wanted to say that she would leave the cooking to him.

“Did you tell the housekeeper about this, by any chance?”

“…I did.”

“I see. That’s why she said that.”

Knowing Fuyuka’s cooking skills, he can fully understand why the housekeeper would be worried.

“Looks like you need to work hard for the housekeeper’s sake too.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

For some reason, Fuyuka’s face turned a little red and hid her face with a cushion. She didn’t say a word when Asahi spoke to her. Fuyuka remained as she was until the study session began.