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Ten minutes later, Max returned home.
He quickly changed out of his clothes, then softly climbed into bed beside Miko Yotsuya, who was still sleeping soundly. He closed his eyes and began to sleep.
Meanwhile, a thousand meters in the air, Tohru flew at an unhurried pace, taking in the city lights below.
Memories from her past travels kept surfacing in her mind. Then, Max's face abruptly appeared in a memory fragment.
"Tohru, would you like to become my exclusive maid?"
The words seemed to echo right beside her ear.
"A maid..." Tohru murmured.
A memory from long ago came to the fore. She had met a human thief girl who dreamed of being a maid. Tohru had spoken with the girl about what she wanted to do once she gained freedom.
The thief girl's answer was: to become a maid, wear a cute maid outfit, and fall in love with her master. She had said it with genuine sincerity.
The thief girl chose to be a maid; no one forced her. It was her own free decision.
To gain freedom only to choose subordination to another—at the time, Tohru hadn't understood. Now, she felt a vague, hazy sense of understanding, but it was still unclear.
Tohru continued to soar through the sky.
At the same time, in a parallel world that seemed to merge with the main one outside the atmosphere, a figure stood on a cloud. A golden halo shone above their head, and snowy white wings gently fluttered behind them. Their eyes, the color of a clear sky after the rain, looked down at a specific spot below.
Their gaze pierced through layers of invisible spatial barriers, falling directly upon the flying Tohru. A moment later, they retracted their attention. A flash of golden light surrounded the figure, and they instantly vanished from the cloud.
Tohru remained completely oblivious.
The time was eight in the morning.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
Miko Yotsuya's phone suddenly lit up, vibrating repeatedly.
Max opened his eyes. He glanced at the still-sleeping Miko, then used invisible psychokinetic energy to lift the phone and bring it closer. It was a call from a number labeled Hana (Yurikawa).
"Miko, wake up. Your best friend is calling you." Max called to her.
"Mmm?" Miko frowned slightly, a soft groan leaving her throat before she slowly opened her eyes, looking completely groggy.
"It's Yurikawa's call," Max said, placing the phone in front of her.
"Oh! (′ο｀)" Miko blinked a few times, her mind gradually clearing.
She took the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello, Hana." Her voice was still a little lazy.
From the phone's speaker, Hana Yurikawa's energetic voice rang out: "Morning, Miko!"
Miko hadn't put the call on speaker, but Max's hearing was sharp enough to catch every word clearly.
"Morning, Hana," Miko replied.
Seeing Max looking at her with a mischievous smile, her cheeks flushed, and she returned a somewhat cute grin. Even though she wasn't wearing any clothes, she wasn't as shy as before.
A sly look flashed in Max's eyes.
Hana continued: "Miko, last night I found a dessert shop online that looks super delicious. Want to go together?"
"Ah!!!"
A sudden shriek pierced the air.
Miko flinched, her pale, pretty face instantly stained crimson. Following her line of sight, Hana would have seen Max had somehow leaned over to 'eat fruit.' He had gently taken a cherry in his mouth.
On the other end of the line, in an apartment high up in a tower, Hana Yurikawa—sitting by her desk—frowned upon hearing Miko's cry. She quickly asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"N-no, nothing." Miko's voice came through, sounding slightly shaky.
"Are you sure you're fine?" Hana's brow eased slightly, but she wanted to confirm.
"I'm fine. I just almost dropped my phone."
"Oh, I see." Hearing Miko's explanation, Hana's confusion vanished, and her frown disappeared.
She chuckled and added, "So, about that dessert shop I mentioned, do you want to go?"
Miko asked, "Where is it, and when?"
Hana answered, "It's in Meguro Ward. How about we go at nine?"
Miko agreed, "Okay, let's meet at Meguro Station. I have to go now, so I'll hang up. Bye!"
The call ended the moment the last word was spoken.
"???"
Hana stared at her phone, frowning slightly, her head practically surrounded by question marks. Seriously, girl, what's with you? Why are we meeting at Meguro Station? Don't we usually meet at Tabata Station in Kita Ward?
Well, it's not important, she decided. Though confused, Hana didn't waste any brain cells on it, pushing the questions aside.
Meanwhile, back at Max's place, Miko Yotsuya, fighting back a tingling sensation, hung up the phone and gave Max a furious, red-faced glare.
"Heh heh."
Max completely ignored her glare, smiling nonchalantly. He continued to enjoy his 'fruit,' his mouth full and his hands grasping for more—he was quite greedy.
He savored the taste. It had to be said that Miko Yotsuya had been hiding quite a lot—you couldn't judge a book by its cover. When she shed her outward disguise and revealed her true self, Max was surprised to find she was closer to a C-cup. He'd thought she was a sour lemon, but she was actually a sweet peach.
Seeing Max's insatiable greed, Miko's face burned with anger, her body trembling slightly. She tried to persuade him, her voice shaky: "Max, I have to meet Hana soon..."
Max lifted his head and smiled. "We still have over fifty minutes until nine. No need to rush. Besides, the flagpole is already up. You caused this, so you have to find a way to resolve it."
"Eh!!!" Miko was taken aback. She instinctively looked down at the 'flagpole,' seeing the long, thick mast proudly standing at attention. The game, it seemed, was about to begin.
Knowing Max's 'skills,' Miko shook her head quickly. "Not now! I'll definitely be late if we do!"
"Then how about this..." Max leaned in and whispered his suggestion into Miko's ear.
"!!!"
Miko's eyes widened, filled with shock and intense embarrassment.
"You choose," Max prompted, letting her make the final decision.
"...Fine." Miko's face was beet red and conflicted, but she finally gave Max a resigned glare and made her choice.
Max smirked in triumph and stood up. Miko, in turn, got up and crouched down beside the 'flagpole.'
A half hour passed in a flash.
It was now eight-thirty. Max gave the 'flagpole' a little shake.
"Mph!!!" Miko's eyes widened. For a moment, she looked exactly like a little hamster with its cheeks stuffed full of food.
Another twenty minutes quickly slipped by.
Miko rushed through her cleaning and dressing, hurrying out the door toward the station to make sure she reached Meguro Station by nine.
While Miko went to meet Hana, Max took some time to clean the bedroom and wash everything that needed to be cleaned.
Just then, Moka Akashiya sent him a message
"....."