Volume 1
Chapter 2-3
All things considered, I slept really well…
Why am I so tired, though? Was it because of all the problems I had on my way back to May Rain Manor?
Is there some underlying cause?
Shinkurou thought about these things as Ginko continued her story.
“Beat irrational violence with more irrational violence. That’s how Benika Juuzawa’s operates. Stay as far away as her as possible because you will encounter misfortune if you a.s.sociate with her. Especially since you are an idiot and easily manipulated”
“No, even if I were manipulated to do something…”
“Idiots have idiotic ways of making things work. I will gather the information on the Kuhouins for you for now but seriously, listen to my advice. You’ll need it since you’re such an idiot.”
“Yeah, got it.”
“And just so you know…”
Ginko wanted to say something but when another student entered the cla.s.sroom, she went back to her work. Shinkurou did not particularly mind. Ginko had once said that it was best that they did not seem to close to others. Being seen too close to each other could be troublesome for the both of them.
Shinkurou returned to his own seat.
There are a lot of things he had to ask Murasaki later.
It felt good to have something to do.
He felt a bit guilty for not taking what Ginko had said earlier into consideration.
Shinkurou let out a big yawn and decided to start paying attention to his first lesson of the day.
Murasaki, who had been waiting for Shinkurou to come home, wore a sullen expression on her face.
“Are you going to give me an explanation?”
Murasaki said that she had been sleeping until the afternoon. When she woke up, she found no one in the room. Since she still did not know anything about her surroundings, it looked like she wandered around inside the apartment complex while reluctantly eating the sweet buns and some other foodstuffs that Shinkurou left for her. Shinkurou thought that she was angry because she was bored. However, she was apparently angry because he had not been at home.
“You abandoned me. Why did you go out by yourself? Why?”
“No… I… I had school, it was because I had school…”
Shinkurou had mentioned that he could not be with Murasaki round the clock and Benika did not seem to mind when she gave him the job. Despite having accepted this potentially deadly job, everything would be fine if Murasaki stayed put in May Rain Manor. Murasaki would be completely safe here. Even if someone were to come in and a.s.sa.s.sinate Shinkurou, Murasaki’s safety here would be guaranteed.
Shinkurou decided to try explaining this to Murasaki. However, since she was just a young child, Shinkurou thought about the best way to explain this to her. While Shinkurou was considering his options, Murasaki tilted her head.
“…School? Is that not the place where people of the same age gather to study?”
“That’s true but…”
That was a strange response, thought Shinkurou. Suddenly, he realized what the problem was. Murasaki was seven years old. If she were a normal girl she would be in first grade. What could be done about her schooling?
“Murasaki, you don’t go to school?”
“No. It is unnecessary.”
“Unnecessary?”
“I heard that this ‘school’ is a place where one studies and at the same time, prepares for a job.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
“If that’s the case, this ‘school’ is obviously unnecessary for me.”
Murasaki said this decisively. However, she continued with a bit of reluctance.
“…I am a little curious though.”
It seemed likely that a member of the Kuhouin family would go to the best private school there is but this was just what Shinkurou thought. The reality of the situation was probably much more complex.
“I understand. I will not bother about your schooling since it cannot be helped.”
Murasaki nodded her head as if she was a generous master. She had decided that Shinkurou was her hired servant and he had no choice but to be quiet and listen to what she had to say.
“Shinkurou, I want to take a bath. Take me.”
Since she was too tired yesterday, she went to bed without taking a bath. Thus, it seemed that she wanted to take one today.
Shinkurou still had many things to ask her. However, Shinkurou put two towels in a wash basin and led Murasaki out of the May Rain Manor. Their destination was a bathhouse that was a mere three minute walk away. Throughout the short walk there, Murasaki turned her curiosity-filled gaze towards everything that she saw. When she saw smoke rising from the chimney of the bathhouse, she began to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ in amazement.
“Oh, do commoners bathe here? It must be rather disagreeable to have to make a trip specifically for bathing.”
“…Not everyone uses these baths you know?”
As soon as Shinkurou corrected Murasaki, he realized something very important. At the bathhouse he was taking her to, men and women bathed separately. Since this was the case they would have to be separated. How would he guard her if they were separated? Though this bathhouse was only used by people who lived nearby, he could not say for sure that Murasaki would not encounter any suspicious people. What should he do?
Not caring about trivial things such as what Shinkurou’s was worrying about, Murasaki ran off towards the bathhouse.
She was heading towards the men’s bath.
Shinkurou chased after her, fl.u.s.tered. After pa.s.sing under the curtain at the entrance, he saw Murasaki talking to an old man sitting at the attendant’s booth.
“Are you alone, little girl?”
“No, I am here with my servant.”
“Your servant?”
The old man at the booth looked suspiciously at Shinkurou who had rushed in after Murasaki. As a faint smile returned to the old man’s face, Shinkurou asked whether he could bring Murasaki into the men’s bath and was told that there was no problem as long as she was under ten. While thinking about the ridiculousness of this criterion, Shinkurou paid the fee for two and brought Murasaki into the dressing room. Despite being around and undressing near so many people for what probably was her first time, Murasaki did not seem to particularly care as she undressed. After undressing, she headed towards the bath without waiting for Shinkurou. Shinkurou chased after her while tying a towel around his waist. Shinkurou tried to offer Murasaki a towel as well but was rejected with her reply of ”It is unnecessary.”. Her att.i.tude towards his offer was as if she was trying to say ”What is there to cover?”. Shinkurou, who wore a towel, even began to think that he may be seen as an indecent person. He had heard from Ginko once before that real upper cla.s.s people, like royalty, do not believe that their nakedness can be perceived by lower cla.s.s people. To them, they were distinct from the lower cla.s.s people. ”Therefore, they feel no shame,” was what Ginko had concluded. Murasaki’s att.i.tude may be because of that. Or maybe it was just because she was still so young.
When Murasaki took one step inside the bath, her eyes were completely filled with awe. Was the idea of this many people bathing together in one large bath completely new to her? Since it seemed like she would stare forever if Shinkurou left her alone, Shinkurou grabbed Murasaki’s hand and sat her down at a washing station.
Murasaki, who sat next to Shinkurou, arrogantly commanded him.
“If you will.”
It seemed that it was normal for servants to wash their masters in the Kuhouin family. She hated it when Shinkurou touched her, so how exactly were these two situations different? Instead of ignoring her, Shinkurou reluctantly obeyed just because his older sister had bathed him when he was younger as well.
“I’ll wash your back but you’ll have to wash everything else by yourself.”
“Why is that?”
Murasaki gave him a stare that said ”Can you not do even that?”
She’s just a child, I have to be patient ran through Shinkurou’s mind as he pointed to a family which had also come to bathe, The children, who were the same age as Murasaki, could serve as a guide as to how Murasaki should wash herself. Murasaki did not really seem to understand but she nodded while letting out a sigh.
“…Very well. If you say you cannot do it then I will not ask the impossible of you. That would be harsh and it is not my intention to treat my servants as such. I shall be tolerant.”
“Now, wash my back,” commanded Murasaki as she turned her back towards Shinkurou.
While thinking that maybe Murasaki wasn’t that bad after all, Shinkurou took out some soap and began scrubbing her back. He stopped after scrubbing just once. Even for a child, her white skin just seemed to be excessively smooth. Water droplets flowed down her skin without any resistance whatsoever. It probably was the kind of skin that all women desperately tried to get.
In contrast, Shinkurou’s skin was covered with small wounds. As he witnessed the difference in their skin, a bitter smile rose upon his face.
Was this difference because of how they grew up?
After he finished washing Murasaki’s back, Shinkurou handed her a towel. Murasaki, who seemed to have never washed herself, learned to do so by imitating Shinkurou. She washed herself well but once it came to washing her hair she could no longer do it by herself.
“Hey, what is this?! It’s stinging my eyes!”
Shinkurou thought that it was normal for shampoo to burn one’s eyes. However, it seemed that the shampoo the Kuhouins used was different. They probably used shampoo made specifically for children. This one hundred and twenty yen shampoo will never be able to replicate the same results. As Shinkurou washed the shampoo out of Murasaki’s hair and tried to lift her spirits, he began thinking to himself.
Will I have to do things like this every day from now on?
Shinkurou became a little depressed.