Puipui!

A refreshing spring breeze blew across the wide river"s surface. Beneath the warm sun of pleasant late April, the running water shimmered like a curtain of light.

The green gra.s.s that lined the banks gently swayed in the wind. On the road above, a high-cla.s.s convertible sparkled in the light as it drove past.

Sitting in the back seat of the convertible, wearing the high school uniform of Harusha Private Academy, was Zadou Sierra of cla.s.s 1-B. While her long silky hair fluttered in the spring breeze, the way she sat with her delicate hands placed gently upon her knees as if she were made of gla.s.s was very modest, as if she were a girl kept in isolation. Her large eyes partially concealed by long lashes, her expression was daydreamish with a peaceful smile gracing her lips.

The driver was wearing a black jacket with a hat pulled low over his eyes. Next to Sierra, a middle school girl sat with a tense facial expression.

"Is...Is it really alright for me to be riding in Sierra-sama"s car like this?"

"Of course. Is your leg feeling better yet?"

Sierra smiled sweetly. With a smiling face like a blooming flower, her inner friendliness, undeniable elegance, and grace came forth.

"Yeah...or rather, it"s just a sc.r.a.pe..."

The school girl looked down at the adhesive bandage stuck to her knee, sounding rather apologetic.

"Negligence is forbidden. It would be a problem if you overdid a little injury thinking it was nothing and it became serious."

"B-but, I"m sorry for making Sierra-sama take me, and I feel sorry for everyone in cla.s.s."

"Everyone in cla.s.s?"

"Because, Sierra-sama is admired by everyone..."

"Okay, then please. Take it as this uppercla.s.sman"s selfishness and let me take you, okay?"

Sierra put both of her hands together, staring fixedly at her as if entreating the school girl to comply. The girl started to blush fiercely.

"Ah, Uhm, uhm, uhm, uhm..."

While clearly fl.u.s.tered, the school girl shrugged her shoulders shyly, finally answering in a small voice,

"Y-Yes...please do."

"Good. Then, please just relax. Would you like a pastry?"

Sierra reached into a velvet box, pulling out a high-cla.s.s chocolate truffle. The girl, however, was clutching her racing heart as she instead became more nervous and her face flushed an even deeper red.

Sierra"s car continued along the road, while on the embankment below......Araki Jin, in his school uniform, was lying down amidst the tall swaying gra.s.s. His clearly determined eyes and taut, well-tanned skin gave off a sort of hot and dry impression, like that of the desert wind.

As Jin used his school bag as a pillow, he read an archaeology book held closely to his lips. It contained pictures of a clay tablet with wedge-shaped characters engraved on it.

Utada Yuuya, Jin"s cla.s.smate, also sat nearby. His skin and hair were weak in color, while he had a thin, frail frame. He wore headphones over his ears, with his slender eyes narrowed as he absentmindedly listened to the music.

"Ah......it"s the Zadou"s car."

Sierra"s car continued driving on, while Yuuya blinked in an unfocused manner, muttering in happiness.

"Aaah, such a secluded young woman...... She lives on a completely different level in this world, and there are a great deal of people who want to confess to her, but she"s like that flower on the top of a mountain, oh how bittersweet."

"Ehh. Beautiful flowers can grow from plants on high mountains."

Jin"s gaze was directed at his book, so he only responded in a simple manner. Yuuya lifted his eyebrows like the katakana character "ハ", and took his headphones off of his ears, resting them around his neck.

"Flower on a high cliff, you don"t even get it! We"re talking about Zadou Sierra here."

"The name of this flower sure sounds like a human."

"You"re slow and you"re only making a shallow point. Zadou is a beauty and a celebrity who"s very kind, she"s a flawless Ojou-sama. Everyday, guys at the academy talk about how they want to confess to her, but since they"re too scared to confess, they can only admire her from afar. Isn"t it unbelievable that you don"t know her?"

"My shoulder"s been hurting since yesterday. Wonder what I should do."

So, without caring, Jin rubbed his left shoulder. He hadn"t listened at all to the speech; Yuuya was stunned.

"Someone"s talking here! Besides, it"s because you read books all the time, that"s why your shoulder"s hurting. You"re like an old man."

"It"s near the collarbone, and it feels like there is a chestnut in there grinding heavily."

"That"s an inflamed lymph node you know...... hey, why are promising students like us talking about such a depressing topic?"

"Yesterday, my shoulder finally reached an intolerable level. It felt like parasites underneath my skin were eating my flesh."

"How can you say that with such a calm expression? Surely it"s because they come from inside the books stacked around our room. No joke, I"ve actually been hearing some rustling sounds at night as well. Don"t you think it would be better if you went to the hospital?"

"Hnn...... This cuneiform seems to be written in the Sumer writing style."

"You"re not listenin" to me again!"

"If you do that, then these symbols make......S-L-M-N..........Solomon?! Perhaps this clay tablet holds the key to "Solomon"s Treasure"?"

"What are you talking about Solomon"s Treasure for?"

"I"m going back to my room, there"s some stuff I want to check on."

Yuuya"s words went unheeded as Jin stood up, grasped the book in his hands, and ran along the embankment path. Yuuya became confused as Jin had left his bag behind.

"Hey! Wait a minute! You forgot your bag!"

But Jin never heard those words. Half wanting to give up, Yuuya nevertheless picked up both their school bags, clutching them to his chest as he chased after Jin.

Jin traveled one kilometer from the academy in order to reach Harushiya Academy"s male dormitory, "Tachibana." The two-story dormitory gave off an old, historic feel, as the roof was built with wooden roof tiles. Each room was set up so that two people from the same year would board together. Jin and Yuuya were roommates.

Their room had a bunk bed, an old-fashioned desk, and mountains of books burying cardboard boxes; so many that there wasn"t even enough room to put one"s feet on the ground. Digging into the mountain of boxes and books, Jin was searching for something.

"Well then...... it must be buried somewhere around here."

"This is just like excavating."

Yuuya had just about given up after going through and cla.s.sifying a bunch of books underneath the bunk bed.

"Geez......this room should be a place to relax."

"Ah, found it. The reference book to the Sumer characters......"

Jin gave a big pull on one book in the center of a mountain of books. The mountain of books swayed and wobbled, before tumbling on top of Yuuya.

"Gaaaah! It"s an avalanche of booooks!"

Underneath the bunk bed, books had piled up. Jin ignored the "Ah", and without doing anything special, expressionlessly pulled a book out from under the bed.

"Hey, are you alive?"

As he extracted the book, a cloud of dust was released. Crawling out from inside the dust cloud, Yuuya coughed.

"Move it! By the way, where did all these boxes even come from! The only way they could have entered this dorm, is one by one."

Yuuya"s body continued to struggle with the dust. But as Yuuya grew angrier, Jin, at his own pace, looked around the inside of the room without any emotion on his face.

"Even if you say that......all of these are important reference books."

"Then you should at least organize them!"

"I don"t know about that. You think after they"re organized, they wouldn"t fall around like this?"

"It wouldn"t be this bad if you had organized them!"

In Yuuya"s madness, he pushed Jin"s face down into the pile of books.

"I can"t take it anymore! I can"t live in a room like this!"

Yuuya picked up from the top of the desk, and held in his hand a small gadget......an MP3 Player, and after moving his headphones from around his neck, he stormed out into the corridor with heavy footsteps.

This normally calm and carefree guy was seriously upset.

"I"m going to the lounge, so you have one hour to organize this room. If you don"t, I"m going to take a bunch of your things that are against the dormitory rules to the dorm supervisor and have a nice chat with him."

"How can you even make that kind of horrible joke?"

"You think I care! Forget about that, and hurry up with the sorting!"

Slaam! Yuuya had forcefully closed the door behind him. A bit thickheaded, all Jin could do was tilt his head to the side.

"What a weird guy. Why"s he so mad?"

Jin lifted his gaze to the mountain of books. There was no way to clean all of this in an hour.

"Well......for now I"ll just do what I can. If I"m kicked out of here, I don"t have any place to go..."

Slowly, Jin began opening the cardboard boxes. Inside, there were things like Arabic newspapers, clay pots, and fragments of pottery. Looking at all of that, Jin began to feel very tired.

"Haah. So Dad and the others didn"t even try to organize any of it......Anyway, I"ll start by separating things I need and don"t need, and then I"ll throw out the junk......"

Jin took out the newspapers from inside the boxes, spreading them out in stacks and tying them with cord into bundles. However, even while steadily tying the newspapers into an increasing number of bundles, the cardboard boxes did not seem to diminish. Even before he started with this tedious work, Jin had already been somewhat tired.

"......Geez, why do I have to keep doing this?"

Jin kicked a nearby box into the air. After the cardboard box collapsed on landing, the contents spilled out into the room. Amongst the fragments of broken earthenware and bricks, there lay a dully shining golden object. The strange metallic vessel looked like a water pitcher with an attached leg.

"Hm……?"

Jin went ahead and picked it up.

Around the same time, Sierra had gone to the woman"s dormitory, called "Sakura Dormitory," to drop off the middle school girl, after which she returned to her home.

Sierra"s house was located in a very exclusive residential area, and was a quite noticeably large, stately mansion. Ten-thousand square meters had been used as the site for the construction of the large home. In the back of the property, there was a large tennis court, pool, and even a rose garden where exquisite flowers bloomed.

The automatic gate opened with the approach of the car. Just then, from within the mansion ten maids came flying out, rolling out a red carpet in welcome.

"A most welcome return, Ojou-sama!"

The employees in the mansion were all live-in workers. The maids wore lengthy, deep blue ap.r.o.n dresses with black tights, and wore loafers for footwear, while a headdress was affixed to the hair......the maid"s uniform was old-fashioned and quite reserved. Circling the car as Sierra exited, they took her school bag.

"Now then, I will put the car into the garage. Until next time."

The driver bowed his head deeply. Giving an elegant smile, Sierra also bowed her head.

"Okay, Nikolai. Thank you for your hard work every day."

"Not at all. It is for Ojou-sama"s sake."

The driver then took the car and brought it into the s.p.a.cious garage by the side of the mansion. In the garage, some ten other high grade automobiles were parked. As Sierra walked atop the red carpet, the maids followed, rolling up the carpet as they went. The maids were all addressing Sierra in unison.

"You must be quite tired. Would you like an afternoon snack?"

"Thank you. I am alright for now."

"Is there any homework that you may have?"

"For home economics, my homework is to hand in an embroidered handkerchief."

"Understood. Then we shall call the world cla.s.s designer from Paris shortly."

"Paris......that reminds me, how is Mother?"

Just then Sierra pa.s.sed through the entry way to the mansion. The entry hall also had red carpeting, reaching up to the large stairwell. Along either side of the red carpet, another twenty maids and employees were lined up.

"A most welcome return, Ojou-sama!"

Said within the interval of a second, there had been no one off mark, as the twenty people spoke and bowed their heads in unison. After ascertaining that her mother was not within the arrayed group, Sierra inquired again.

"Mary. Is Mother still shopping in Paris?"

"She isn"t. Today she went to watch an opera...... she took the private jet when she left."

The head maid, Mary Savant, was respectfully bowing her head. Older than the other maids, she still had the appearance of being in her twenties, and her movements had the standard elegance of an Englishwoman, with no flaws in their perfection.

"What about Father?"

"He is in his room."

"I see. He"s probably busy earning "money" again."

Huffing, Sierra took a deep breath. Within a moment, her expression returned to that of a big smile. However, Mary didn"t miss the change......realizing, but pretending not to have noticed, she maintained a poker face with her response.

"Ojou-sama, would you like to have some afternoon tea?"

"Eh?......no, why do you ask me?"

Not sure why Mary would want her to take tea, Sierra could only tilt her head to the side in puzzlement. Seeing the maids off, Sierra started up the great staircase. At the top of the large staircase, the driver from earlier was waiting and, having taken off the black coat and hat, now wore a tailcoat.

"A most welcome return, Ojou-sama."

He, Nikolai Pavlov, was the Zadou House"s butler. Even though he was a butler, he was only in his twenties, and had an appearance that was tall and thin, with firm shoulders. He gave off an icy feel with his glinting blue eyes and platinum blond hair.

Standing atop the stairwell, Nikolai had not missed observing Sierra"s thoughts and had seen her hasty smile.

"Ojou-sama. Are you at all tired?"

"No, but I should be saying that to you......I apologize for having you make another stop today. Looking after Father"s health must also be very tiring."

"Not at all. Being a driver is a job that I enjoy very much after all."

As Sierra headed towards her room, Nikolai followed along at her pace. Sierra"s emotions were weaving.

"Why are you following, Nikolai?"

"I had a.s.sumed it was Ojou-sama"s intention that I should follow."

"I didn"t really mean that......"

"Ah......then I deeply apologize. It"s a course of upbringing."

Nikolai, in a small movement, quickly bowed his head.

"By the way, Ojou-sama......would you like some Russian Tea?"

"Mary also tried to give me some tea. Do you really want me to drink tea that much?"

"April"s winds are still known to be quite cold."

Nikolai had tried to modestly hide from view his facial expression. However, Sierra had noticed his worry for her.

"That"s true. Well then......I will gladly have some."

Sierra"s expression changed. After confirming that, Nikolai bowed his head very deeply.

"Well then, I shall put the charcoal in the Samovar Teakettle."

With that, Sierra turned back to her room.

The room was like an ultra high-cla.s.s Hotel Suite in all its splendor. It had a bedroom and a living room, where in the bedroom was a queen sized bed with a canopy, while in the living room there were three one-hundred inch plasma screen TV"s. One was for television, another for games, and a third for videos.

Sierra tossed herself down on the sofa in front of the TV, staring absent-mindedly up at the ceiling. It was boring, with nothing to do. She thought about how she hadn"t seen her parent"s faces all week.

"Father, Mother......"

Facing up, she realized she was crying. Sierra quickly sat upright on the couch, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

Suddenly, something strange happened. Looking at her hand, Sierra noticed an unfamiliar white glove.

"Huh? When......did I, put on a glove?"

At that instant, Sierra"s entire body was swallowed by a golden light.

Nikolai, with a silver Samovar Teakettle from the Romanov Dynasty, and a porcelain tea set, was pushing them down the corridor on top of a cart.

"Ojou-sama, excuse my impoliteness."

Nikolai knocked on Sierra"s door. But, no reply came.

"......Ojou-sama. Sierra Ojou-sama?"

He called again, but there still was no reply. Pushing gently, he opened the door. Inside the room, strewn about atop the sofa, was a school uniform and a pair of shoes. It looked as if a body had simply vanished from within the clothes, while in the middle of sleep.

"It seems the uniform was removed. Well, that must mean......"

Nikolai turned his gaze to face the inner shower room. His normally stark white face, turned bright red.

"M-My most humblest of apologies!"

Nikolai hurriedly flew back into the corridor. He had thought Sierra was taking a shower. Rushing out, he caught his foot on the cart, smacking his face on the cart as he collapsed.

"......Mister Pavlov, what are you doing?"

In the middle of patrolling the mansion to supervise the maids in their work, Mary had stopped to inquire while glancing down suspiciously at Nikolai, who looked like a car-squashed frog lying on the floor. Sierra was nowhere to be found.

Sierra was in an unfamiliar room.

Dust was piled on a great deal of old books, and there were boxes of bowls and heaps of newspapers.

"Wha, what is this...some kind of warehouse? How did I, come to this kind of place?"

"Y...you, who are you?"

Sierra turned her surprised eyes towards the bewildered voice. She was met with flashing eyes, which belonged to Jin. In front of him, a dull golden container in the shape of an water pitcher tumbled away.

"Y-You"re, Araki Jin! Why, are you here?"

"Why you ask, this is my room!"

"Eh...your room? W-Why...?"

"By the way, how come you know my name?"

"What was that? We"re in the same cla.s.s, so it"s obvious right?"

"Eh....the same cla.s.s?"

"No way, you don"t know me? Me?"

"I transferred here from another high school, that"s why."

"That"s not the problem! April is over and yet you still don"t know the names of the girls in your same cla.s.s? I mean, how does someone in the academy not know me?"

Sierra angrily slapped her hand against her hip, then suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"......Ah, I see. This must mean, your eyes are bad? I thought it was strange. It"s because you can"t see me, that"s why you"re not making a fuss. Then it"s agreed."

"Nope. Both my eyes are one/five."

"Hah? What"s that, I don"t believe it!"

"Why, when my eyes are so good, are you getting so mad. By the way, who are you really?"

"They"re plain clothes, but when you look at this uniform, you still don"t understand?"

"Uniform? It"s okay but, our school prohibits part-time work."

"Part-time work? You, ever since before you"ve been saying things that I don"t understand."

"But, isn"t that an Akiba Maid uniform?"

"Maid you say!? Even suggesting that I would ever be a maid is the biggest insult ever! Now apologize!"

Angrily facing Jin, Sierra glanced at her hands and became shocked. On her hand, she wore a white glove. Realizing something also felt different about her hair, Sierra lifted her hand to the top of her head. A lace headdress was pinned in her hair.

"W......what is this?"

Losing her calm, Sierra looked down at her body. She was wearing a mini ap.r.o.n dress, with long knee socks. There was also a mini skirt, just revealing her white bottom. Normally Sierra was a very conservatively dressed Ojou-sama, so wearing the mini skirt caused her to blush a deep scarlet. She tried to pull tighter with both hands and managed to conceal her bottom a bit more.

"What"s......with these clothes! Why am I wearing maid clothes!?"

"Idiot, you"re too loud! After coming here, do you want everybody around to see you?"

"Besides caring if someone sees, why am I even here, I have no idea how I got here myself!"

"Stop yelling so loud! In this dorm, the rules are that no girls or pets are allowed. If they find you, I"ll get evicted."

"I...don"t compare me to an animal! I didn"t realize until just now, but I"ve had enough of your impoliteness!"

"I said your voice is too loud!"

"Could I request of you a little manners?"

"I"m begging you, please lower your voice."

"Will you do something for me?"

"If I can do it."

"Then die apologizing!"

"Sorry but, I think that exceeds the limits of what I"m capable of."

Jin said this in a harsh voice, devoid of emotion.

"Anyway, before somebody sees you, hurry up and get out of here."

"Until you die apologizing, I"m not moving."

Sierra seated herself in traditional j.a.panese style, with her face looking straight forward.

"Geez. Seriously, just give me a break."

Shifting impatiently, Jin finally accepted it and dropped his shoulders. Quickly, Sierra jabbed her finger at Jin.

"Guess there"s no helping it, then I"ll forgive you if you commit seppuku."

"That"s not even different from earlier. You"re so selfish, what kind of "-sama" are you?"

"Zadou Sierra-sama!"

"That"s a pretty straight reply......Wait, Zadou? Maybe it"s, the one from the same cla.s.s?"

Jin remembered what Yuuya had been talking about back at the embankment. Somehow having heard some of it, he recalled, they had been talking about an Ojou-sama.

"Isn"t that what I said a while ago! Do you actually have a brain in that head of yours?"

"Well. It"s just that you, differ from what I thought an Ojou-sama was."

"What was that?"

"It"s just that, I didn"t think an Ojou-sama would have such a bad mouth."

"None of your business! Acting like a friendly cat is too bothersome!"

"So they dress up in costumes, huh...It"s a world beyond my understanding."

"Idiot, acting like a cat is a metaphor. As a commoner, is that beyond your understanding?"

"It"s just, you"re wearing Akiba type clothes, it"s cosplay right?"

Taken aback, Sierra dropped her gaze to her clothes, covering herself with both arms.

"I forgot......I was wearing maid clothes."

Standing up in sudden fury, Sierra began fervently scanning the inside of the room.

"Where"s the exit? Someone like me wearing maid clothes, if someone I knew came into this common room of yours, it would be the embarra.s.sment of a lifetime!"

"Sorry for it being so common."

"I"d be so shocked, I"d probably die!"

"Well, I think I"d be the first one to go. I already feel like I"m about to die."

"Instead of grumbling, hurry up and tell me how to get out!"

"So n.o.body will see you when you leave, you"ll have to exit through the window."

Jin pointed towards the window. With the window open wide, dust was blowing up from the books.

"What floor is this?"

"The second floor..."

"......There"s no helping it then."

Pressing her lips tightly together, Sierra put her leg on the window. To Jin"s astonishment, Sierra concentrated with her arms held at her back.

"Oi, you serious? The second floor is actually quite high."

"It"s better than being embarra.s.sed!"

"Yeah but everyone has something they"re embarra.s.sed about."

"Speaking of which, what"s with your hand?"

Jin had crossed his hands in front of Sierra, holding her tight. He was dazed......as her body was unbelievably soft for being so thin. Taking that chance, Sierra moved to the window and prepared to exit, when she felt something similar to an electric shock, which resulted in her falling back into the room with a loud crash.

"Kyaaa!!"

Sierra tumbled, landing with her bottom on top of the floor. Her skirt lifted up revealingly, and the fl.u.s.tered Sierra hastily pressed it down, sitting in traditional j.a.panese style. Kneeling next to Sierra, Jin wondered what had happened.

"Is it, fun to play by yourself?"

"W-Why couldn"t I get outside?"

Sierra feverishly began scanning the room. Finding a door, she ran towards it. Confused, Jin could only stay still.

"Oi, wait, people will see you if you go into the corridor!"

Sierra grabbed the doork.n.o.b with her hand. But, again the same electric shock ran through her hand. Grimmacing, she looked at her hand. Why couldn"t she even open the door?

"Why......"

At that moment, pouring out from the water pitcher"s spout, a violet smoke was rising upwards.

"Kyaa, it"s poison gas!"

Sierra grabbed onto Jin, terrified. He gave a painful grimace.

The violet smoke began to take on the form of a human. A man wrapped in a red silk gown, holding a brandy gla.s.s in one hand, was spinning upwards. Wearing a ring on one finger, a necklace, and an earring, Jin"s eyes reflected all the sparkling jewelry.

"Wh......what"s with this flashy old guy?"

Still hanging onto Jin, Sierra"s voice was filled with disbelief.

"Fa......Father?"

"Eh, your father?"

Understanding less and less, Jin furiously rubbed his eyes.

"So your fashion sense, it"s hereditary?"

"I"m not wearing the maid set because I like it! That and, what"s some commoner doing, being so overly familiar!"

Sierra was flushed deep red, as she thrust Jin forcibly aside. Pushed aside, Jin just raised his eyebrows.

"Obviously, I wasn"t the one touching you right?"

Picking up the water pitcher, and with a friendly expression, Sierra"s father extended his hand out to Jin.

"So, you"re the new master huh. I"m counting on you."

"Wha......? Is it because of my weak understanding, that I have no idea what you just said?"

With all his strength, Jin glared hard at Sierra"s father. Sierra was doing the same, as she snapped.

"What the heck are you saying that for, father! Bowing your head to a commoner, I can"t believe it!"

Sierra"s father, wagging his index finger back and forth, showed Sierra the water pitcher.

"Sierra, do you have any idea what this is?"

"It"s a pot used to make curry sauce."

"Ah. So that was the name of the thing you put curry into."

A hand slapped Jin from behind. Sierra was moving around, with scornful eyes.

"It"s because a commoner doesn"t have one in his house, that"s why you don"t know it"s real name."

"Quit with the commoner thing! Even I know that the word for the ladle you use with shredded ice is called a "kanrojyakushi".

"Shredded ice you say? Ah, how distasteful. The upper cla.s.s term is a frappe."

"Regardless, how did a parent and child like you get into this dorm?"

"It"s not a pot to make curry sauce. This, is a lamp," Sierra"s father said. Without interest, Jin gave a weak acknowledgment.

"I see, like a lamp that has a flame."

"It doesn"t have a flame."

"Then it"s just junk."

"It doesn"t have a flame, but the lamp does have a genie."

Sierra"s father had drawn very close to Jin"s face, speaking in a serious tone. For a word like that, it took Jin a while to have it register in his brain.

"......right now, listen to this strange story."

So, Jin used a finger to clear his ears. Sierra had also anxiously turned her eyes towards her father.

"Father......what will you do if there are losses in your share trading?"

"Sierra. Until now, why is it that I never had to go to work to earn money.....it"s different than the explanation about trading stocks."

"Eh? Father, you weren"t buying and selling stocks on the internet?"

"The things in our house, the white personal jet, all of these I used magic to make them appear!"

Sierra"s father beat his own chest. For several seconds, both Jin and Sierra were completely silent.

"......But even so, the official name has to be "curry pot.""

""Kanrojyakushi" I didn"t know that one......"

"Oi, Oi, Oi! Don"t leave me out!"

Grabbing Sierra"s back, her father turned her around.

"The Genie of the Lamp really does come out, just like in "Arabian Nights." As a part of our family heritage, the Zadou House has the blood of that Genie of the Lamp!"

"Eeeh."

"I"m serious! The Genie of the Lamp, using magic, can make all sorts of things appear!"

"Yeah, I see. It"s just like Papa says."

"Don"t stare at me with such a pitiable expression!"

"That"s because, who could believe something like that?"

"But it"s true! The abilities of a Genie of the Lamp are handed down to the next generation. And when the next generation finds their "master", the parents lose their abilities."

"Master?"

Sierra"s face stiffened as she turned her eyes towards Jin. He was taken aback, as Sierra"s father pointed at the lamp in his possession.

"Then maybe......that"s a magic lamp?"

"What slow comprehension..."

"Yeah but, I was just cleaning my room."

"But you rubbed the lamp at that time?"

"That"s because it was dirty."

"Then that"s why you are officially Sierra"s Master."

"I don"t believe it! Why do I have to be the servant of this commoner!"

Sierra"s father turned her around with the flat of his palm,

"Sierra. Put you hand in your ap.r.o.n"s pocket."

He said, while pointing at her pocket. Thrusting her hand into her pocket, Sierra pulled out a thin book, resting it on her palm. She blinked in surprise.

"This book, what is it?"

"It"s a magic tome which has been handed down in our family for generations. It seems you are a magic maid."

The front cover of the book had the design of an arabesque of the Arabian Wind, while the inside was blank. Turning the pages, Sierra knit her eyes in confusion.

"There"s nothing written here."

"Because the ability of the Genie of the Lamp transferred to you, the magic book I was holding moved to your working clothes, where at that moment, all the information stored was reset. As you level up, the skill of your magic will increase. And when you reach the status of a full-fledged Genie of the Lamp, you will be released from your Master, and will no longer have to wear your working outfit, and you will be able to always keep the magic book with you."

"Level up?"

"So make sure you fulfill all of the wishes of this boy"s heart."

"W......why, does someone like me have to do that!"

"I refuse as well, don"t force your own selfishness on someone to be some kind of servant. The rules of this dorm are really strict, people can"t have too many personal possessions around, and women and pets aren"t allowed here."

Desperately, Sierra was glaring at Jin.

"That"s what"s rude! Comparing me and pets on the same level!"

"Well I"ll get evicted if I break any of the rules!"

"Father, I can"t even believe you"d want me to work for this rude commoner!"

"You have become a magic maid have you not?"

"I don"t want to be some kind of maid who uses magic for any length of time! Let"s go home!"

With her feet making loud stomping noises, Sierra began to leave the room. But, Sierra"s father grabbed her by the nape of her neck, pulling her back to her place.

"Wait wait wait, just wait a moment! Because you haven"t used magic yet, it could be troublesome!"

"What is it. There"s no need for magic, we can buy anything with the money we have."

"That-is-why! That money, all of it was conjured by magic!"

"Eh!"

Sierra"s face was in the prime of utter fury. As she stood dumbfounded, her father just nodded his head at her.

"Looks like you finally get it."

"So......you can"t use magic anymore which means, there is no money anymore?"

"As of this minute, it"s over."

"Nooo! S......So I"ll have to become this commoners companion!?"

Sierra underwent a violent shock, collapsing onto the floor. Jin turned his astonished gaze towards the jangling jewelry of the father.

"It"s not really a problem. But the fact that your father"s jewelry hasn"t disappeared, must mean that, the conjured items won"t just disappear, right?"

"But, after spending the money, it"s gone! Without hiring any employees, how is my hair going to get combed every morning!?"

"Use a brush, and comb it yourself."

"Your reply, why is it always so abzurd!"

"I don"t have the self confidence to win against your absurdity......"

Jin was tired of Sierra"s previous panic, yet wasn"t very stressed.

"Anyway, just take that ring to a p.a.w.nshop and trade it for some money, after that just start being thrifty."

"p.a.w.nSHOP! THRIFTY!"

Raising her head, Sierra had screamed in a high pitched voice.

"I swear upon my pride as an idol, to never accept such a commoner"s proposal!"

"Exactly, just like I did, all you have to do is conjure money and you can level up!"

"As I thought, money drives people crazy."

Jin muttered, taking a breath. Sierra turned her gaze towards him.

"B,-But......he"ll end up with nothing."

"Don"t listen to him."

"The Genie of the Lamp doesn"t get to choose the master. Well, don"t feel too disappointed."

Puffing his cheeks out, Sierra"s father tried to comfort her, clapping his hand on her shoulder.

"Also, before someone can really become the Genie of the Lamp and get released, it"s necessary to serve the Master. Doing that takes patience."

"Before someone reaches that point, about how long does it take?"

Sierra asked, clinging onto her father. He responded by simply shrugging his shoulders.

"Who knows?"

"How can you be so relaxed?"

"For my father and I, it took hundreds of years before the Genie of the Lamp was called out to do something."

"Ehhh?"

"Most likely, the lamp was buried or something. This time, your Master called you out which means the Magic Book was reset hundreds of years."

Listening to that, Jin stopped, dropping his chin to his hand.

"......But, isn"t it weird that the Genie of the Magic Lamp is in j.a.pan?"

"Hmpf. The studying of commoners is insufficient."

"Apart from your daughter, for an adult to have that kind of tone, it really annoys me."

"Did you learn how in the eighth century the silk road was used to transport articles of clothing and such? In the past, j.a.pan and Persia traded as well. Back and forth from Persia along the silk road, the Magic Lamp finally made it here to j.a.pan."

"I don"t believe it! Why am I being pulled into poverty!?"

Clenching both fists, Sierra had snapped at her father. He turned around, defiant.

"Don"t think you"re the only victim here! Because I can"t use magic, I"m also in quite a bind!"

"So father, does that mean you"re still a servant?"

"I used a sacrifice to separate. To the end, you will be this little falcon"s servant, so do your best because the fate of the Zadou House"s finances rests on your shoulders, Sierra."

"Yeah but......what is it I have to......"

Sierra was still hesitating. Jin was trying to appeal to her father.

"Oi, don"t disregard what I have to say! Why aren"t you listening to people? You can"t be here, because this is a dormitory!"

"You"re still young. Just blow off the rules the adults have!"

"Saying stuff with an expression like that, if you don"t want to get chased, don"t say things like that."

"My circ.u.mstances aren"t great either. You don"t have an agreeable personality, boy."

"Why am I a problem child?"

"That"s enough, boy!"

Sierra"s father brought his face in very close to Jin"s chest, with a startling expression.

"When I got married, I promised my wife that I would provide her with money forever. Since there"s no more money, there"ll be a divorce."

"So you can buy love with money?"

"Well, if you pay a lot."

"That"s like, fake then."

"Quit talking! Because the divorce is your fault, I hope your whole life is cursed!"

"How selfish......"

Jin was astonished at the pressuring force exerted by Sierra"s father. With a frantic appearance, Sierra tapped on her father"s shoulder.

"Father, is it true you"ll get a divorce? That"s awful!"

"Well then, let this be a secret for just the three of us. My wife can never know about this."

Glaring at Jin, Sierra jabbed her finger at him.

"Commoner! From today on you will be my Master! I"m going to level up, and return back to being a regular idol!"

"D-Don"t go deciding things on your own! I keep saying girls aren"t allowed in here, even so, who would want someone as selfish as you......!"

"Now, tell me your wish! Spit it out!"

Ignoring Jin"s objection, Sierra grabbed both of his shoulders, and pushed him over the top of the mountain of books. Long hair went over Jin"s face, tickling him. It was extremely painful with his back pushed into the books.

"Th-That"s not the att.i.tude you should have towards your Master!"

"Shut up, you only have the status of a commoner!"

"Wait a minute, Sierra. You level up according to the satisfaction gauge of your Master, so don"t be so rough."

""Satisfaction Gauge"...what"s that?"

"It"s just like it sounds."

Grabbing Jin"s arm, Sierra"s father helped him up.

"Boy, boy. All you have to do is say "ChiChinPuiPui♪"."

"Sorry but, I"m not that kind of happy careless person with no hobbies."

"You sure have a lot of pride, huh...."

"I don"t have much pride, but it"s normal to not say that right?"

"It"s fine just say it."

"I"d rather die than say it!"

"What a troublesome guy! You want to eat the ingredients of a canape!"

"Let"s just have a fashionable cooking party with an idol."

"You"ll say it; so say it!"

Sierra"s father had drawn himself up. A little more and he would have added two centimeters to his height. Jin broke under his stature.

"......Can"t get out of it so...ChiChinPui......pui......"

As expected of throwing away his dignity, Jin"s last word was very small. Sierra"s father then took his hand, and placed it on top of Sierra"s head, making rubbing motions.

"......Eh."

At that moment, Sierra was wondering what was happening. In the next moment, a high pitched scream arose, as Jin"s hand moved around.

"Kyaaaaaaa! What is your filthy commoner"s hand doing on my head! Someone"s going to have use shampoo to disinfect it!"

"It"s true I should wash my hands, but you don"t have to go that far......"

Jin muttered in a hard voice. The headdress Sierra was wearing was giving off a weak shine. Sierra"s father gave a heavy sigh.

"Look. You"re making the Master extremely displeased, as the satisfaction gauge hasn"t gone up even a little."

"Why, why is it shining?"

"As the satisfaction gauge goes up, the intensity level of the light will go up."

"Father, could you explain it normally?"

"Look, if you want a Master"s mood to change, start by going into the kitchen and calling out "Master!"."

"Huhm......"

Sierra turned her puzzled eyes towards Jin.

"T......to this commoner, I have to......"

"Look here, if you keep up with that depressing face, your Master"s satisfaction level is going to go down even further. Practice saying, "Did you call me, Master?"."

Like a musical conductor, Sierra"s father raised his finger with a wave. Jin then unexpectedly yelled.

"Don"t call out something like that! Just go home!"

"Ca......call out, you say......"

Sierra"s face was flushed deep red, as she had one hand closed into a fist on her chest, while shaking. Sierra"s father laughed, nodding in satisfaction.

"Good, one more time. Next say, "Master"!"

"M......ma......mast......"

Sierra sounded like a broken CD replaying, but she finally lost her patience, screaming out,

"Ahh geeez! Why do I have to say something like this!"

Steadily, something sounded against the wall. In shock, Jin turned his face. It had come from the wall of the next room over.

"Hey, Araki, it"s Yutada. You"re too loud!"

"Ah......s-sorry."

Jin apologized quickly, and putting his finger to his lips, made a "Shhhh" sound.

"You can"t make noise! It"ll be a problem if a girl was found in here, so just get out already!"

"Can"t do that. Until something is done for the Master, it"s impossible to leave."

Listening to what her father said, Sierra remembered how when she had tried to leave the room before, she had somehow been unable to leave the room.

"I can"t......go home......?"

"No way......! Yuuya will be coming back any time now, what do we do!"

"That"s what I should be asking! With these embarra.s.sing clothes that make me look like a common servant to you, if I was ever found in this dirty room I would be so embarra.s.sed that there"s no way I could go to school!"

"I"m troubled as well! If the Genie of the Lamp"s secret was ever found out, my wife......my wife......!"

Sierra was in a rage, while her father was worrying heavily. Jin hid the picture of his shock.

"The two of you really don"t get what I"m saying."

"A-Anyway, the job dictates that something has to be done before we can go back!"

While Sierra was talking, she had begun taking the books that were lying in piles on the floor, and tossing them into the trash bin. With Sierra doing this all of a sudden, Jin became surprised.

"Heey! What do you think you"re doing!"

"It"s filthy trash, so I"m throwing it away."

"If you"d recognize this stuff, you"d see that none of it is trash, these are all things sent from my father and his excavation team."

"Excavation?"

"My father and his group are in the Middle East for Solomon"s......no, that has nothing to do with this!"

"So it doesn"t look like garbage. Commoners, they really don"t throw anything out do they."

"It"s not my fault! Anyway, don"t touch!"

"It"s because, without any work, the Genie of the Lamp won"t be able to level up! It"s because you don"t have a wish, so it can"t be helped!"

"Then, do something to heal my shoulder."

"Have you gone to a Hospital?"

"You"re not really helpful."

"Shut up! Commoners really should be quiet!"

On the other hand, Sierra had picked up a cardboard box. At that moment, holding the box with the her hands, some kind of furry thing sprung up; as an animal with red and black spots scurried to run away:

"KYAAAAAAAA!"

With a scream, Sierra scrambled to the top of a pile of books. With her voice filling the region with half the level of ultrasonic waves, Jin spontaneously plugged his ears. Sierra screamed while looking at Jin from the top of the books.

"Spider! A spider came out!"

"What are you saying, this is something you can do."

"Disgusting, things like spiders are disgusting! Just, hurry up and exterminate it!"

"Why are you giving your Master an order!"

Jin yelled at Sierra. Again, someone beat against the wall.

"Araki! Quit being so loud! Just now, that almost sounded like a girl"s voice!"

"A-Ah, it"s because a spider appeared."

Jin replied automatically, with a loud voice. The response that came next sounded disdainful.

"Screaming like that because of a spider, what a weak person!"

"What"s wrong with calling out like a weak person?"

With a jolt Jin turned his face towards Sierra"s father. Sierra"s father was in shock, hiding behind a pile of books, as his entire neck shivered.

"I-It"s not like Sierra won"t level up if I don"t help!"

"......Geez. The both of you, just what did you come here for."

Jin slumped his shoulders in exhaustion, as he picked up the spider. Gooseb.u.mps sprang up all over Sierra, as she put her hands to her face, yelling.

"Kyaaa! I can"t believe you actually picked it up!"

"Spiders are good creatures that eat harmful bugs, but people still kill them."

Jin opened the window, tossing the spider outside. The spider started a thread from the second floor window, and descended like a drop of water into the yard below. Closing the window, Jin turned his voice to Sierra.

"Look, it"s not chasing you anymore."

"Wa-Wait, what are you going to do with that hand!?"

"What about my hands?"

"The spider was moving around on your hand! Use soap and clean your hands!"

Sierra bellowed from the top of the mountain of books. Thinking "my gosh," Jin followed the nagging order, went over to the washbasin in the room, and cleaned his hands.

"Look, they"re clean. Now hurry and get down from there."

Shaking the water from his hands, Jin spoke in a careful voice. However Sierra was still shaking.

"No way, it"s not like the spider can"t walk back into this place! Kill it with a rag or something!"

"That"s it, actually kill it the second time, boy!"

"Quit with the stupid orders! I don"t know who the servant is anymoooore, just go back already!"

With a headache, Jin continued to look at Sierra who was still staying on top of the books. She was crying.

"Bu......but that"s just it, until I do a job I can"t go back!"

"And, like Sierra, I can"t go back until she goes back."

"I didn"t ask that!......By the way, eh? Why can"t you go back either?"

"When Sierra came through the lamp, the dimension s.p.a.ce remained open for a while, allowing things to cross over. I came through that gate, but the gate has already closed."

"Even if the gate"s closed, just walk home."

"I don"t have shoes."

Sierra"s father spoke, while showing off his feet. He was only wearing slippers. Having come from inside his own house to Jin"s room, he hadn"t even changed his footwear. Jin"s next words were biting.

"Go back in your slippers!"

"Wait, if Papa goes back, what do I do!"

Sierra had put her anger aside, and with anxiety showed a face that looked close to crying. Her lips were trembling.

"You want to clean the floor?"

"I"d die first!"

"Then what should we do."

Jin turned his gaze towards a clock on the wall. The hands pointed to five-thirty.

When Yuuya went to the lounge, he had said he would return in and hour......it"s already been almost an hour.

"Can"t be helped....you, what are you able to do?"

"I can sing. Would you like me to give you my opera performance?"

"It would be bad if you were to use a loud voice and be found out, don"t you get this yet?"

"Then, shall I give this room a flower arrangement?"

"Thanks. That"s really problematic."

"What a selfish commoner!"

"Neither are good! Anyway, just get off the books for now!"

Jin had lifted his gaze to Sierra standing atop the mountain of books, when, at that moment, all movement stopped. From below, he had seen under the skirt, to the ruffling frills and lace that were part of the petticoat. Jin stiffened in that moment of realization, as Sierra descended from atop the mountain.

"W-What are you looking at, you lowly commoner!"

"It just happened! Besides, didn"t I tell you to get off already."

Sierra and Jin glared at each other. When all of a sudden a knocking came from the door. Jin was shocked.

"Ooi, Jin, is everything in order?"

"c.r.a.p......Yuuya"s back already."

Jin pushed a hand against his brow, breathing heavily. Sierra just looked at Jin in anxiety.

"Yuuya......Utada Yuuya from our cla.s.s? He"s coming into this room?"

"He"s my roommate that"s why. This isn"t good......"

"Th-This isn"t good is all you can say! What are we gonna do?"

Sierra had become quite pale. A key wasn"t needed to open the door. Thinking hard, Jin frantically rushed to gather cardboard boxes which he set in front of the door.

"Wait a bit, Yuuya! There"s a lot of stuff in front of the door right now!"

"Ehh?"

His voice showed dissatisfaction, Yuuya turned the door k.n.o.b. But because of the barricade blocking the door, the door didn"t open. For the moment Jin let out a sigh from his chest.

"What is it, is the room still not put in order? Do you want me to talk to the dorm head after all?"

"Wait, wait, wait! Just a bit more and I"m done, seriously!"

"Really~?"

Sierra"s father was looking around the room. In the middle of blocking the entrance, and not having tidied up before, the room was in a terrific state. Moving around, Jin glared at him.

"And who"s fault is it!"

"It"s fine if there"s only a little more to go, so just let me in. Because the radio program is about to start."

In a hurry, Yuuya banged on the door. Jin turned his eyes towards the top of Yuuya"s desk. Textbooks were all lined up along a bookstand, across from which there was a CD Player.

"You listening, Jin? Open up right now, open up!"

Yuuya was making a ruckus beating on the door, and from the surrounding rooms other boarding students began emerging.

"Utada, what are you doing?"

"Jin"s shut himself up in the room."

"Oi, Araki! How long have you been doing this!?"

The corridor was filled with people talking. Sierra was waving both hands in all directions.

"Wh-What are we going to do! In front of all those people, and I"m dressed like this......!"

"No matter what, it"s too messy in here, so I"m going to get evicted from the dorm for sure. I don"t even care anymore......"

Losing the will to do anything, Jin sat down where he was. With a desperate expression Sierra grabbed him by the collar　and got all up in his face. Being so close to Sierra, he could smell a pleasant soapy scent.

"Even if you"ve given up, there"s no way I"m going to let this happen! Hurry up and just tell me to do something! You"re the Master aren"t you!"

"Whatever I say, you"ll just refuse."

"Then hurry up and think of something that I won"t say no to!"

"Is this how a servant is supposed to act?!"

"Jin, just let me in already!"

Yuuya heaved his body against the door, causing a deep sound to ring out.

"Alright, we"ll lend you a hand!"

"One~Two~Three!"

Saying that, the boarding students all together rammed against the door. Made of wood, the entire old dormitory shuddered as the gla.s.s rang with the sound. Surprised, Sierra"s face began to shed tears.

"It......it"s no use anymore. It"s no use."

Losing all the overbearing might she had up until now, Sierra sat down in despair. She had such high pride, but until now she had never gone through such a humiliating experience. She looked like a small trembling bird, and Jin couldn"t help but start to pity her.

"......It can"t be helped. It"s all right, I"ll think of something."

"Really you will?"

As Jin looked into Sierra"s eyes, he noticed her br.i.m.m.i.n.g tears. He relied on those eyes. Heavy pressure began building in Jin"s chest. He started to regret having said that, as Sierra clasped both of her hands to her chest in hopeful dependence, appearing as if she were praying. But there"s no way he could betray her now.

As the frame of the door continued to be pounded against, and the loud sounds created continued on, Jin began getting frantic, but continued to think. Suddenly, a light flashed on inside his head. "Because the radio program is about to start." With a flashback Jin remembered Yuuya"s words.

"That"s it! This isn"t something difficult, so you should be able to do it."

Jin gestured towards the CD Player on top of Yuuya"s desk.

"Zadou. Could you turn the radio ca.s.sette on."

"Radio?"

Sierra worriedly had her hand by her mouth, and relying on this she was looking around.

"What"s a radio ca.s.sette?

"The thing over there!"

Pushing his forehead in exasperation, Jin dragged Sierra over.

"The mechanism on top of the desk! Press the blue switch!"

"Blue switch? W, wonder if it"s this."

"Sierra, since you"re a Genie of the Lamp, say "Leave it to me, Master" over there!"

Sierra"s father spoke to her from behind. Jin quickly ran over and plugged up his mouth.

"You"re going to confuse her even more, so don"t say useless things!"

"Uhmm.......blue Master......"

"Look, you confused her!"

Jin put him in a stranglehold for having spoken to her.

"The blue switch! It"s the one furthest to the right!"

"Ah, t-this one?"

With a slender finger Sierra pushed the b.u.t.ton. With a red LED light showing that power was connected, a DJ"s voice came flying out with strength.

"Hey ma~n! It"s Chekira! To all you listeners, you ready Yo! Until Nine o"clock today, it"s Chekira~Uto!"

"Ah! It"s on!"

Sierra reflexively clapped her hands together. Even Jin felt a sense of relief. Just then, without taking even a moment to relax, Sierra"s father pushed her in front of Jin.

"Now, Sierra! Don"t hesitate! Before your Master"s satisfaction fades, measure the satisfaction gauge!"

"Ah, y-yeah. Just, hurry up and rub my head!"

Recovering her boldness, Sierra was now moving in on Jin. He was bewildered by her forcefulness.

"Hey, is that any way to act towards someone you want a favor from?"

"Whatever, just hurry up! That guy is going to come in here any time now!"

Sierra had previously shown such pride, so what she was doing now showed just how desperate she was. Jin reluctantly moved his hand to her head. Earlier having said "Dirty hands of a commoner" with dislike, and not wanting to be touched, Jin was now gently stroking her head.

"Boy, right there say "ChiChinPuiPui♪"!"

"I-I got it! ChiChinPuiPui!"

Becoming desperate, Jin recited the incantation nearly screaming. Then, Sierra"s headdress atop her head, began shining brightly. Her eyes showing surprise, Sierra touched the headdress.

"......Wait. This is it?"

"The indispensable satisfaction gauge hasn"t even leveled up above ten percent."

With a sigh, Sierra"s father took a deep breath. Angry, Sierra grabbed hold of Jin, screaming at him.

"Wait! What"s with this? Be more grateful!"

"All you did was push in a switch on a radio ca.s.sette, and you get this violent, you look like you drank a boiled dirty fingernail."

"I didn"t have to push the switch you know! Someone like me should be telling a commoner like you to do it for me!"

"A~h Gee~z, just shut it! And go home!"

"Telling me to shut it, what an impertinent commoner! Fine then, I"m going back! I don"t want to stay in this spider infested place any longer!"

The moment Sierra shouted, the lamp began to shine. Sierra"s figure was surrounded by smoke, and in the next moment, all was sucked into the lamp. The lamp lit up the surroundings, revealing a vague, circular type illusion giving off light. With a look of glee, Sierra"s father jumped into the circle.

"Finally, I can go back with this! Boy, next time show Sierra more appreciation!"

"I"ll bet you 1,000,000 peso"s I won"t."

Jin muttered, as Sierra"s father disappeared.

"Let me in, Jin! The radio program has already started you know!"

From outside the door, Yuuya raised his voice. The door was opening easily, little by little all the boarding students were pushing against it, as the barricade of cardboard boxes started crumbling down. They would break in shortly, so in that case......Sierra had been swept into the rainbow colored s.p.a.ce. Yuuya had told the dorm head that the boarding students were trying to break down a barricade to see what was going on in a room, and that person would definitely come through the entrance way. Whatever happened, he wouldn"t be able to stay in the dorm any longer.

"Well then....from tomorrow on, wonder where I should sleep."

Having given up and sitting down in a sulking mood, he dropped a book to the ground. Suddenly, that book was pulled into the rainbow colored circle, vanishing with a swish. Jin opened his eyes wide. "When Sierra came through the lamp, the dimension s.p.a.ce remained open for a while, allowing things to cross over."...Jin remembered what Sierra"s father had said.

"That"s it!"

Jin leaped up, grabbing every box and tossing it into the rainbow dimension s.p.a.ce. The cardboard boxes all vanished with a pretty swooshing sound.

"All right, now everything has been removed from here."

Feeling a hundred times more energetic, Jin was surprised with the horsepower he exerted, as both the books and cardboard boxes had by now all gone into the rainbow s.p.a.ce. Until now, he had been quite depressed, but as each box vanished with a swoosh, Jin would gloat, until finally the entire room was clean. From the corridor, all the boarding students" voices could be heard. It was definitely heating up out there.

"Next time hit it with everything you"ve got everybody!"

"Yeah! One, Two~, Three!"

All the boarding students rammed