Ch.49 Moving. A New Mansion

"This here, is our new home!"

""""...""""

The next day.

This day is a weekday, so it should have been a normal school day noja... but, we are absent from school today because we are moving. Or rather, 'twas treated as an official absence. 'Twas due to family circumstances (?) after all.

By the way, we are scheduled to have a make-up lesson this Saturday to cover today's lesson, so in practical terms, 'tis like we swap Saturday and Wednesday.

So, Mizuki's family car... or rather, limousine, was parked in front of my house in the morning.

The other four—Miho, Mizuki, Aria, and Mashiron—were already inside the car, each relaxing in their own way.

I also got into the limousine, and we started moving about eight minutes later.

As Mizuki stood proudly in front of our new home, introducing it to everyone, we... froze.

This is our new home, huh? Or rather...

"This is a mansion, is it not!?"

It looked like a mansion from every angle.

And an incredibly spacious one at that.

'Tis a huge mansion, like the kind you often see in anime and manga, and honestly, 'tis so big for 5 people to live in. In fact, 'tis way too big.

I never thought there would be such a huge mansion in reality.

"...Hey, if my memory serves me correctly, wasn't this area just a normal residential neighborhood?"

"I think so..."

"...It was supposed to be a fairly large residential area."

As the three of them say, the area where our new house is to be built was supposed to be a residential area ja... but where on earth did it all disappear to?

"...Now that you mention it, I heard that quite a few students had changed their addresses."

"What did you say?! That means... Mizuki, where have all the residents of this area gone noja?"

"We had a peaceful discussion, and they willingly moved out."

She said it with a smile.

...I see. So they used money or something to get them to leave.

Their methods are too extravagant.

"Incidentally, when we built the mansion, we also purchased the roads in this area."

"...I have a headache."

"Do not say that, Mizuki. Me too ja."

"Ah, hahaha... Even I'm a little intimidated by this... I've been poor up until now..."

"...Amazing. Is all I can say."

Standing before the mansion in front of us, we all wore grim expressions.

What the hell is going on noja, really?

◇◆◇

...I understood firsthand once we entered the mansion that 'twas not just about the exterior.

"""Welcome back, our ladies."""

There were real maids.

""S-so, it has come to this...""

"Wow, real maids!"

"……Surprised."

Miho and I were dumbfounded by the sight before us, Aria looked intrigued, and Mashiron had a slightly astonished expression on her face as she watched the scene.

...I half-jokingly speculated that there might be maids here, but... I cannot believe there actually were.

"It would be impossible for us to maintain a house of this size ourselves, so we decided to hire maids. That said, Otou-sama said, 'This much of an option is fine!', so it's essentially a gift from him."

"...Isn't that present a bit too much?"

Am I the only one who thinks that, frankly speaking, instead of building a house that requires hiring maids to maintain, they should have just built a slightly larger, ordinary house?

No, I am sure Miho would also think about that.

"Now, Head Maid-san, could you please give a speech on behalf of everyone?"

"Understood. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Hiiragi, the head maid, and I will be in charge of taking care of your personal needs from now on. I hope we can get along."

The woman who introduced herself that way appeared to be in her early twenties ja.

How should I put it... she is a beautiful woman with sharp, dignified eyes.

…………I know not why. I just wanted to live a normal, lazy, self-indulgent life, but somehow... Is this not different? Am I getting further and further away from that ideal?

Actually, the house is huge. It has become a celebrity-style house.

...Well, you could say 'tis the result of marrying a rich girl, but even so, this... feels like going too far.

Maids... Maids, huh...

...Mu? Maids? Could it be...?

"U-um, Hiiragi-san or whatever your name is."

"Yes, what is it, Mahiro-sama?"

Well, using honorifics like "sama" feels a bit awkward, but... oh well.

"Could it be that you maids will be able to do not only cleaning and laundry, but also cooking?"

"That is correct."

...Which means,

"So, even if I just laze around in my room all day on my day off...?"

"Yes, of course."

She smiled and affirmed.

...Wait, seriously?!

Is this it? I can finally live in bed all day, just like I have always dreamed!? Well, I still need to go to the bathroom, though.

"If you wish, we can provide constant care and attention."

"Seriously?!"

"It is serious."

Oh, wow! Are you saying I can really just roll around?!

And on top of that, someone will take care of me?! What kind of ideal, self-indulgent lifestyle is that?!

Oh man, I cannot wait for my day off!

"By the way, we knew that Mahiro-chan's basic desires were to laze around and live a self-indulgent life, so Otou-sama hired maids with that in mind."

"Good job!"

I said to Mizuki, giving a thumbs-up, Mizuki returned the gesture with her usual smile and a thumbs-up of her own.

"...I'd forgotten because she's been doing all the tsukkomis lately, but come to think of it, she's actually the jokester at heart."

"'Tis me after all ja!"

"That's nothing to brag about..."

"'Tis alright. I have always been a bit of a jokester to begin with! Now, Mizuki yo, show us around this mansion!"

"Understood! Well then, Hiiragi-san, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Yes, leave it to us. We will carry your luggage, ladies."

"""Yes!"""

Oh, wow, those are some quick and efficient movements.

...Real maids, so amazing.

◇◆◇

"This is the study. Basically, it's filled with books that match everyone's hobbies and preferences, based on what we've learned about everyone."

The first place we were shown was the study.

The interior is quite spacious, with many bookshelves lining the walls.

What is more, 'tis interesting that there seems to be a second floor here somewhere.

"So what does that mean? Like historical novels too?"

"Of course we have them. Not only that, we also have magazines, light novels, manga, setting materials, and more."

"...That's really impressive, but I wonder when they managed to research about us."

That is certainly something to be concerned about.

But then again, the actions of the rich are something we commoners cannot understand at all...

"Oh! I've been wanting to read this book for a long time! There's this one, and this one too! Amazing!"

"...Sti, looks so lively."

Incidentally, Mashiron has a habit of giving nicknames to people she becomes close to, and she calls Aria "Sti."

I know not why.

By the way, she calls Miho "Mihorin" and Mizuki "Mii-chan".

Sometimes her sense of style is quite interesting.

"Well, considering her family circumstances, she probably could barely get any entertainment. So 'tis no wonder she is so lively."

In a way, I feel like she is the one benefiting the most from marrying me.

I am so glad to hear that her family has finally escaped poverty.

"Okay, let's keep going! There's still plenty more to come!"

◇◆◇

"Next up is the tea room!"

The next room we were shown to was one with a wooden table, chairs, and sofa set up in the center.

"What is a tea room ja?"

I have never heard of that before.

"As the name suggests, this is a room for having tea. By the way, there's a place to prepare tea over there, and you'll find sweets in that cupboard and refrigerator."

"……Sweets!"

"Oh, Mashiron has taken a bite from the word 'sweets'."

Mashiron reacted instantly to the explanation that there were sweets.

Well, this fellow loves to eat, after all.

Moreover, considering the size of the mansion, the sweets they keep on hand are likely to be of good quality. That makes me even more intrigued.

"...Mii-chan, is it okay to eat some sweets?"

"Of course. Please, don't hesitate."

"...Then, this can of cookies."

Is one can not too much?

"Please, go ahead. If there's a sweet you like, I'll tell them to make sure they prepare that one in particular."

"...Understood. Will taste them."

Mashiron stared intently at the cupboard and refrigerator with eyes like a hawk stalking its prey.

◇◆◇

"Next up is the training room."

Next, we were shown a place that was like a miniature gym.

"Wow, this is a nice room."

"We have all the basic equipment, and it's all state-of-the-art. If you decide you want to lose weight, you can exercise in this room."

"I've been kind of worried about it lately. Because Mahiro's cooking is so delicious."

"Is that my fault?"

"Not really. But your cooking was so delicious that I ended up eating too much, so you're partly to blame, right, my wife?"

"...But you were the ones who entrusted it to me. ...Well, I suppose all is good then."

"I see, I'll use this place when I want to get some exercise."

I was trying to prepare a balanced diet, but...

So, it seems that women are naturally concerned about their weight.

"...Munch munch"

It seems like Mashiron is the only one who could not care less about that kind of thing.

...But where does all the nutrition from what this thing eats go?

In a way, 'tis a mystery ja.

◇◆◇

Then, we were shown the dining hall and each of the rooms, and everything proceeded smoothly without anything particularly noteworthy happening. Next, we were introduced to...

"This is the indoor pool."

"Hee, this is a pretty good spot."

"Yes yes, this looks like the perfect place for lunch!"

"...I like it."

The girls' reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

But...

"......"

"What's wrong, Mahiro? You look so troubled."

I was the only one with a strangely ambiguous expression on my face as I looked around the room.

"......Ah, no. How should I put it...the structure of this room...or rather, its shape, you know. 'Tis a little..."

"Is there anything that's bothering you?"

"I am curious... well, I am curious, maybe... You know, that thing that only men can understand..."

"......?"

"Ah... 'Tis nothing. Mizuki, let us go to the next room."

"Is that so? Well, let's move on to the next one."

◇◆◇

...I cannot say it. The shape of this room is, how should I put it...the same shape as an indoor swimming pool that you see in animal videos. (TL: In short, AV)

Seeing that, I cannot say I foresaw a future where I would be attacked...

◇◆◇

"This is the game room."

""""Oohh!""""

Next, we were shown to the game room.

The interior is quite spacious, and from what I can see, there are billiards, darts, and even a table for playing cards, like you would find in a casino.

Besides those, there are also video games and board games like A Game of Life.

"This place is amazing. There are some interesting games here too."

"Those are some pretty old games, right? I'm surprised you managed to get your hands on them."

"There are so many games for adults! I wonder if billiards is fun?"

"...seems like we could bet among ourselves."

"I am not doing it, you know?"

"...Stingy"

That bet is definitely not going to end well.

I am absolutely certain they will all conspire to try and defeat me.

"Let's have a gaming tournament sometime."

"That sounds great. Maybe I'll invite some friends then."

"Yeah, it seems like it would be more fun with a large group."

Umu umu. Maybe I will call Kengo and Yuya when that time comes.

◇◆◇

After that, there was a PC room (a room with computers and a ridiculously good internet connection, and to top it all off, there were Alien PCs provided for everyone), a bathhouse (large enough to comfortably fit more than 30 people, and for some reason it was made of cypress wood), and even a dressing room.

So we walked around the mansion,

"Mu? Hey, Mizuki yo. What is this room ja?"

Intrigued by a mysterious door we passed along the way, I stopped in front of it and asked Mizuki about it.

The door that caught my attention is different from the wooden doors in the other rooms; it has a remarkably heavy feel to it. 'Tis not made of iron... but what kind of door is it?

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. We won't be using it yet."

"I see. But I am curious as to what is inside..."

Even when I knock on the door, the sound does not carry very well.

Is the inside perhaps soundproofed?

"Okay... then Miho-san, Aristia-san, and Mashiro-san, could you go and take a look inside? Oh, and even if you do, don't tell Mahiro-chan, okay?"

"What do you mean ja?"

"Don't worry about it."

The three of them tilted their heads in confusion as they entered.

And then, a few seconds later.

"""...understood"""

For some reason, three people came out with red faces.

Wait a minute.

"What exactly have you all seen?"

"How should I put it... I guess it's a room that Mahiro would enjoy..."

"Hohou, so does that mean there is an incredibly comfortable bed there?"

"Y-yeah. There was a bed, you know? It was soft and looked like it would be easy to sleep on, I guess."

"Wow. That sounds exciting..."

"...We're looking forward, to it too."

If all three of them say so, it must be a room where I can get a really good night's sleep.

"I cannot wait for the day when I can use it!"

"""...Ahh, yeah. That's right."""

"What is it ja, what is it? Why such a lukewarm reaction? There is a bed that will allow you to sleep soundly, right? If so, you should be happy."

"Yes, that's, right. Yeah, that's right. We can use it sometime."

"Umu!" (TL:... Poor guy)

I wonder what kind of bed is it...

Hehe, I am looking forward to it ja.

"Fufufu... I'm looking forward to seeing that gleeful expression change into something else."

Mu? Did Mizuki just mutter something ominous for a split second...? Or am I imagining things?

"Mizuki, is there anything else?"

"Okay, let's move on to the next one."

Is there more?

What a truly vast mansion ja!

Previous | ToC | Next