Tsukiyama Matsumae was known as the "Knight of the Tsukiyama Family"—the strongest among all their servants, renowned for her formidable power.
Yet even someone of her caliber could only bow her head and address Amaha Byakuya as "Master."
"Fine. Just remember to lock the door next time before doing something like that."
Byakuya spoke casually. "By the way, hasn't that one woken up yet?"
"No, she hasn't. Should I wake her?"
She could tell that Kanae had passed the danger zone and was simply still unconscious. Waking her directly wouldn't be a problem.
"No need. Let her sleep for now."
After Byakuya said this, he noticed the bloodstains on Matsumae's and Kanae's clothes needed to be dealt with. "Right, I can't let you two stay like that. Wait here a moment."
Matsumae nodded and sat obediently beside Kanae.
Byakuya then found Yoshimura.
"Manager, does the shop have any spare uniforms? I need to borrow two sets for the servants from the Tsukiyama family."
"Of course. I'll go get them for you."
Yoshimura retrieved two work uniforms—identical to what Touka and the others wore.
Byakuya handed them to Matsumae without any fuss. "I borrowed these from the manager. You two change into them for now."
Before leaving, he added one more thing: "And don't forget to lock the door this time."
Matsumae felt slightly embarrassed. "Yes..."
She then changed into the uniform Byakuya had provided and helped Kanae change as well.
"Master, we've finished changing."
Assuming Byakuya was waiting outside the door, Matsumae walked over and announced this.
There was no response. When she opened the door, Byakuya was nowhere to be seen.
After a moment's thought, Matsumae headed downstairs.
"Master..."
The moment she spotted Byakuya and opened her mouth to call out, she felt several gazes converging on her at once.
"Wow, she's already calling you 'Master'?" Roma exclaimed.
"You made her call you 'Master' that quickly?" Touka gave Byakuya a slightly strange look.
"This must be the Tsukiyama family servant that Touka-san and Amaha-san mentioned? And she's wearing our shop's uniform? It actually suits her quite well." Koma stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Indeed. She has an excellent appearance—fitting for a professional butler from a prestigious family," Irimi agreed.
"Big brother is so mean..." Hinami murmured quietly.
She too apparently assumed Byakuya had forced the woman to call him "Master." After all, Matsumae had been so natural about it from the start that it was easy to assume coercion was involved.
"No... I never asked her to. She started calling me 'Master' on her own."
Byakuya's expression was somewhat helpless.
"That's correct. This is not a requirement from the Master. I simply believe one must not be disrespectful to the Master."
Matsumae's expressionless explanation effectively cleared up the misunderstanding.
"So what brings you down here?"
Byakuya steered the conversation back to business.
"I came to inform the Master that Kanae and I have finished changing."
"That's fine. You don't need to report such things to me. Go back upstairs and look after Kanae."
"Understood."
Matsumae nodded and followed orders.
She still had some questions in her mind, though she didn't voice them.
She could tell by scent that every employee in this café was a ghoul. She recalled Byakuya mentioning this place was "Anteiku."
She knew perfectly well what kind of place Anteiku was—after all, the young master often came here to "play."
What puzzled her was that this young man, her new master, was clearly a CCG investigator, yet here he was in Anteiku—a place teeming with ghouls—chatting and laughing with the staff.
Come to think of it, the girl that Young Master Shuu had ordered her to capture alive was also a ghoul, and clearly a friend of this young man.
An investigator befriending ghouls...
Matsumae found this rather incredible. Was he really an investigator who didn't consider the ghouls of Anteiku his enemies?
...
Kanae opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.
But she could smell Matsumae nearby, which brought her immediate comfort.
Then she remembered what had happened before she lost consciousness.
"Young Master!"
Kanae shot upright with a cry and urgently asked Matsumae, "Head Maid Matsumae! How is the young master?!"
Matsumae's official title in the Tsukiyama household was "Head Maid"—essentially the manager of all servants.
"The Master has taken the young master home. However, we've become collateral for the young master's survival."
Matsumae explained calmly, her tone flat.
"Phew..."
Hearing this, Kanae let out a long breath of relief. She didn't care at all about what Matsumae meant by "collateral"—knowing the young master was safe was all that mattered.
Then the rest caught up with her.
"Wait... Head Maid, what do you mean by collateral?"
"It means we've been enslaved by the Master now."
Matsumae's tone was so matter-of-fact she might as well have been discussing the weather.
"Master...?"
Kanae didn't immediately register who Matsumae was referring to. She looked around the room and spotted the third person present—Amaha Byakuya.
"It's you?!"
The moment she saw him, she treated him as an enemy.
After all, Kanae had just woken from unconsciousness and hadn't yet processed the situation. The only thought in her mind was to fight the enemy.
"Kanae!"
Sensing that Kanae was about to offend Byakuya, Matsumae immediately spoke sharply: "One must not be disrespectful to the Master."
"What?!"
Kanae was stunned. She pointed at Byakuya. "Head Maid, you're saying he's our master...?"
"That's correct. As servants, we must maintain proper manners. Did the Master of the house not teach you this?"
Matsumae lectured her.
She was doing this for Kanae's own good. Otherwise, the consequences could be unthinkable.
"I..."
"?!"
Before Kanae could figure out what was going on, she suddenly realized her clothes had been changed while she was unconscious. In that instant, her mind filled with all sorts of chaotic imaginings...
...
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