Mei smiled gently.
When I saw it, I was startled and couldn't think of a response.
"T-Thank you."
This was the best I could come up with in response.
Of course, I have no bad feelings. I was just embarrassed and stammered.
However, Mei-san seems to have interpreted it this way.
"...As I thought, you don't feel at ease when you're alone with me."
Come to think of it, she's been looking apologetic for a while now.
It's like he feels responsible for my nervousness.
"I'm sorry for being such an unsociable adult. It seems you don't like me... but thank you for listening to me anyway. I'll be leaving soon, so don't worry."
Oh, I see.
Does Mei still mistakenly believe that I hate her?
I thought she hated me too, so we both had misunderstood each other, which caused the situation to become awkward for both of us.
However, Mei-san did tell me her true feelings.
This time, I'll have to be more shy and tell him properly.
"Well then, I'll be off. I think the ladies will be back soon, so I'll come and get you again then... Thank you for talking to me. It was really fun."
With that, Mei turned on her heel to leave the room.
If things continued like this, they would continue to misunderstand, so I made up my mind and spoke up.
"Um, well! It's not that I dislike you, Mei-san."
"...You're so kind, Youhei-sama. But I don't really like it when people are so considerate of me. I feel bad about it, so it's fine if you just be yourself."
This is bad. Even if I deny that she dislikes me, she thinks I'm just being considerate.
"I told you before, right? Because I have this kind of personality, I'm used to being disliked, so I don't think anything of it. It's okay, don't worry."
"B-but... I don't really hate you."
"...Then why are you so nervous? You seem a bit strange when you talk to me, Youhei. You're different from when you're with Lady Hime or Lady Hijiri."
They've found out.
Mei-san must have a keen eye for observation. She noticed that something wasn't right with me.
...If I lied here, the same thing would happen as before.
It was soon after I was alone with Mei. We were both silent, and when she asked me why, I lied and said, "I was quiet because the iced tea was delicious," and the awkwardness intensified.
"There's no way I could hate you."
So this time, I decided to properly convey my feelings without trying to deceive anyone.
"...I like the maid!"
Okay, I said it correctly.
It was embarrassing to tell her, but I knew that it wasn't that Mei-san disliked me, so I managed to tell her.
"Um... that maid outfit looks great on you. It's cute, and it made me nervous."
"..."
Mei is silent.
You can tell from his expression that he's not completely disgusted.
Because Mei's face was bright red.
"I, is that so? Hmm, I see... so she doesn't hate me."
Although she pretended to be calm, Mei also seemed embarrassed.
She had been holding the hem of her skirt tightly for a while now. The gesture was so cute that it made me want to grin.
As expected, maids are really cute.