Chapter 93: Sisters United
The stalking went smoothly, but Rem was stopped at the residential complex's main gate, only able to watch as Ram entered the upscale apartment area.
Oh no, could my sister really be carrying such a heavy burden?!
What kind of work requires going to this kind of high-end residential area at night without returning home?
Private tutoring?
But Ram's grades are quite average.
All signs indicate that Ram's quick-money job might not be entirely legitimate. Rem is very worried, but she also knows she can't cause trouble now. Any questions should wait until Ram returns home next time. Causing a scene now would only make Ram's situation awkward or even get her fired.
Helplessly, Rem could only return home to wait. As she was heading back, Ren also drove back to the complex. He glanced at Rem walking toward him and noticed she resembled Ram, both having easily manageable short haircuts though with different hair colors.
Satou knew this was Ram's sister, but why had she come here?
It couldn't be that Ram, thinking she had successfully gotten the job, brought her sister along privately to broaden her horizons, could it?
After mentally noting this, Satou found an opportunity to ask Ram about it when they returned home.
"Rem followed me here?"
Upon learning this, Ram showed surprise mixed with worry, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, but without any guilt because she would never cross the boundaries Satou was imagining.
She had originally planned to tell Rem the truth to ease her worries, never expecting Rem's initiative to be just as strong, actively following her today.
Ram had to explain to Satou, then went to find Ren, who was in the mood for gaming. Before his game started, she mentioned Rem and the transfer school matter.
"Your sister has blue hair, right?"
Hearing Ram's words, Ren recalled the girl he'd seen earlier and casually asked Ram, who had already changed into her maid uniform.
"Yes, Master, have you seen her?"
"She just left. Bring her over for a meal sometime this weekend to explain things. Are you twins?"
Staring at Ram for a moment, noticing their strong resemblance and similar appearance, Ren grew curious about the sisters.
"Yes."
Ram nodded nervously. Ren was a good master, but his fondness for beautiful girls made her worry he might have other ideas about Rem. After all, they were relatively rare twin sisters, both quite attractive.
"Really? Regarding the school transfer, let's do it next semester. Summer break is almost here—transferring now would just be a waste of time."
Ren noticed Ram's tension but couldn't be bothered to explain. Finding twin sisters with different hair colors curious was normal, wasn't it?
"Understood. I won't disturb your gaming then, Master."
Ram didn't press further, giving a slight bow before leaving the room.
On Thursday and Friday, Toyosaki held final exams. After the exams, only Hitori looked pale, having faded color again after so long. On the way home, she leaned against the car door, her soul seemingly drifting out of her mouth.
"Could Bocchi-chan's grades be that bad?"
Ren hadn't paid much attention to academics, and neither had Hitori and the others. Seeing how confident they all seemed, he didn't concern himself with such matters—until now.
It appeared Hitori's grades were quite poor.
"No guarantee I won't have to retake exams..." Hitori murmured pitifully after snapping out of her daze. She had spent all her time on the band and Ren, often zoning out or observing classmates during lessons. Over time, her mind went blank during exams—she even forgot to randomly fill in answers for multiple-choice questions she didn't know.
"What about you, Yuno?"
After gauging Hitori's level, Ren turned to Yuno and the others.
"We're all fine."
Yuno and her friends fell into the high-achiever category, while Karen consistently scored above the passing mark with no risk of retakes. Only Hitori was trembling with anxiety.
"Bocchi-chan, no need to stress so much! The results aren't even out yet. If you really need to retake exams, just memorize the answers beforehand—Toyosaki uses the same test papers for retakes anyway," Karen reassured Hitori with a smile. Besides, wasn't retaking an option? Even last-minute cramming could handle makeup exams.
But Hitori also struggled with dozing off in class, especially during math and English. Even with after-school tutoring, she could barely focus.
Such minor issues didn't require Ren's concern—Yuno voluntarily took on the task.
Today, Ram brought her younger sister Rem to Ren's home, where Rem met both Ren and Hitori's group. Ram hoped to dispel Rem's worries, insisting it was legitimate work—she was truly just a maid.
But Rem saw things differently. Being a maid was indeed respectable—after all, maid cafes existed—but Ren being surrounded entirely by pink-haired beauties? That couldn't be normal.
Rem kept these thoughts to herself until after dinner, when they washed dishes and cleaned together. Pulling Ram into a corner, she whispered anxiously:
"Sis, you're still lying to me, aren't you? Does Ren-kun have a collection fetish for pink-haired girls? And you're one of his collectibles too?"
"I won't deny Master has a preference for pink-haired beauties, but I truly am just his maid."
Though Ram didn't deny it and insisted on being just a maid, Rem believed her—but not entirely. Whether maid or not, one could still be part of Ren's collection or even his lover—the two weren't mutually exclusive.
The problem was: they'd already accepted the money and used it to improve their lives. Backing out now would be ungrateful.
Yet this comfortable life, built on her sister's sacrifices, brought Rem no joy.
They had money, but her sister was rarely home anymore. She'd rather not have the money at all.
Perhaps...
The sisters were inseparable. When they were young, someone wanted to adopt one of them, but they refused to be separated. They had relied on each other ever since.
In the end, her older sister Ram still had to part with her due to reality. Perhaps while she was leisurely lying on a soft bed playing with her phone, her sister Ram was kneeling on the bed, enduring Ren's discipline. She had heard that wealthy people, once having all their desires satisfied, could become quite perverse.
Though this was the worst-case assumption, Rem couldn't shake off her worries and still harbored such concerns. Thus, an idea formed in her mind.
If it were a legitimate job, she could handle it too—tasks like caring for others and household chores were things she had been doing since childhood. She felt confident in becoming a competent maid.
Moreover, she was willing to work without pay, solely wanting to confirm whether Ram was silently enduring suffering she shouldn't have to bear.
And so, Rem mustered her courage to approach Ren and voiced her request.