What, no matter how it happened, when I woke up the next day, I was moving Sara’s body.
“Welcome back.”
As I sat up and blankly stared at the rising sun outside the window, someone whispered softly.
When I turned my gaze, it was Ha Neul.
“…Did you know?”
“How could I not recognize you?”
…How on earth?
Honestly, I knew it was a touching thing to say, but after seeing Sara like that in my dream, it was a bit scary.
…Eh, no way.
No matter what, there’s no way I’d be popular with other girls besides Sara. I don’t think it’s due to my personality or Sara’s looks.
No, if we’re nitpicking, is it a thought derived from ‘looks’?
Well, naturally, since Sara was a girl.
Of course, in the original work, Yoo Ha-neul casually dated both boys and girls, and Ye Sara was indeed part of his dating route, but… at least the current Ha Neul didn’t seem like she was on anyone’s route. It was probably because of me that the future changed.
If anything, it might be an ‘friendship route’. I know there wasn’t such a route in the original work.
But this is a world different from the original. Because I’m here.
So, it means there’s a possibility that everyone here can reach a happy ending without facing excessively big problems.
In fact, I dragged all the people here, so I could say that the responsibility for a proper ending is on me.
Fool.
…Wait, why?
*
Thanks to the conversation I had with Sara yesterday, Yang Hye-in’s expression was much softer than usual.
Could it be that her usual blank expression was just due to being tense?
Having no precise understanding of Yang Hye-in’s psychology, I could only think, “Let it be.”
“Grandma, you don’t have to pack so much.”
Watching Grandma pull various items out of the trunk like a child returning home for the holidays, Yang Hye-in said that.
“There’s plenty to eat there too.”
…That was true.
At least, a mansion that big wouldn’t be running out of food. Yang Hye-in wouldn’t have been slacking off either.
“No, I don’t eat anyway, so take it and eat. They’re all delicious items.”
That was also true.
Grandma’s food was all delicious. The homemade taste was amazing even without any special techniques or expensive top-quality ingredients. It was a taste I hadn’t had much since I came here.
“…”
Grandma and Yang Hye-in were exchanging offers and refusals, but they looked much more comfortable than when I first saw them. Might it be that blood ties can’t be hidden after all?
…
After watching that for a while, I took a deep breath.
Then, I walked over to Yang Hye-in and patted her back.
“…Sister.”
At my call, I felt Yang Hye-in’s body stiffen.
Was the word ‘sister’ that shocking? After all, we agreed to call each other that for a while and hadn’t really used it.
“Uh, yeah.”
Yang Hye-in, unlike her usual self, stuttered and turned around.
A clearly flustered face.
Even as a maid in a dating sim, the original model was so beautiful that even such a flustered expression made her look pretty.
…Even the maid?
…What does it mean to say, ‘even the maid’?
Putting aside Sara’s inexplicable grievance for now, I spoke to Yang Hye-in.
“Let’s just take it. Grandma wants to give it to us.”
“Right, Sara made a good point.”
Grandma quickly chimed in.
“Just take it~ You’ll find it useful anyway.”
“…Okay.”
In the end, it seemed Yang Hye-in decided to follow my words.
After all, whether using informal or formal language, Yang Hye-in was still Sara’s maid.
Since she wanted it, all we could do was go along with it.
*
In the car on the way back.
I hadn’t noticed at all when coming, but thinking about it now, I had managed to cut off the driver. Naturally, the car we were in had to be driven by Yang Hye-in since the only one with a driver’s license was her.
Wasn’t she still too young? Or not? I’m not sure. I got my license at an age where I could only call myself an adult, so I couldn’t tell.
Well, if she wanted to drive, she could. Although it’s a driving license I got without practice, so I’d probably mess it up.
“Should we hire more servants?”
Since it felt like there would ultimately be people coming along anyway, I asked that question.
“No.”
Yang Hye-in immediately answered like that. It was so blunt that if something had been nearby, it might have been cut in half.
“I’ll handle everything at the mansion.”
“Alright then…”
The problem was, while her words were sharp, the expression reflected in the rearview mirror was incredibly relaxed.
…Somehow, that made it even scarier. It felt like she was saying everything related to me should be done by herself, or that it was natural to feel that way.
Was the effect of what Sara said yesterday that good?
“…”
Na Ha-neul, Sua, and Sohee in the front seat all froze in silence as well.
Of course, the reason for my silence was different from theirs. I felt something scary from Yang Hye-in’s expression, while the others probably found that expression hard to see.
…Eh.
No matter what, after all, a maid is a maid.
The maid’s duties are predetermined, yes.
No matter what, there’s no way it can be worse than before.
Maid is a maid, after all.
Ah, I got nervous and ended up using the same expression twice.
*
And, of course,
As always,
My expectations went completely awry.
After driving for a while, when we stopped at a rest area to get some fresh air.
Someone suddenly brought churros to my mouth, and before I knew it, I took a bite, only to look up and find it was Yang Hye-in.
“…”
Not being able to even cut off that churro, I stared up at Yang Hye-in with wide eyes.
Ah, right.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time Yang Hye-in had fed me something. Back when I had just woken up, and she thought my mental and physical state wasn’t quite right, she had fed me porridge.
But back then, she was the only one who could help me, and in a sense, I was really sick… Moreover, back then, she was worried she might be punished, so it could be said she was cautious to prevent me from choking on anything.
But now, just sitting on the resting area chair with food brought to my mouth…
Hmm.
First, I broke the churro off with my teeth.
I decided not to ask for a reason.
Because there were too many parts I could roughly guess.
…What will I do now?
What?
Sara answered my question.
No, you made it like this. Can’t you do something about it?
…No.
Seems like she’s a bit scared now.
“It’s… delicious……”
When I said that, Yang Hye-in smiled brightly.
Why does she look so scary while smiling?
When I quickly turned my gaze, it seemed Ha Neul, Sohee, and Sua also noticed the slightly odd aura radiating from Yang Hye-in.
“…”
However, it didn’t seem like anyone would intervene right away. After all, Yang Hye-in hadn’t done anything wrong.
“What a relief.”
Yang Hye-in said that and brought another churro to my mouth.
What is this?
I felt like I had become a baby bird being fed.
No, rather…
Something, something awkward.
I didn’t know what it meant, but it was that kind of indescribable awkwardness.
…Ah.
…Ah!
And finally, I realized the source of that awkwardness.
…I don’t even know why I only noticed this now.
The face of someone who can change my life and, by extension, Sara’s life shines.
And that light can emerge and disappear.
It was so bright it blinded me, but it wasn’t physical light. It didn’t cast shadows or light up dark spaces. You only see the light when you recognize the location of that person’s face precisely.
So, of course, it made sense that I hadn’t seen the light on Yang Hye-in’s face in the rearview mirror.
No, since I didn’t notice before getting into the car, maybe now was the decisive moment.
…The person I’ve looked at the longest since coming here, and I’m only just now seeing the light emanating from their face.
It’s ironic, but at the same time, I think I’d come to accept it.
At the same time, I was a bit scared.
What can I say, those eyes…
The innocent laughter that Yang Hye-in had not shown until now seemed a bit dangerous in various ways. I couldn’t tell what that meaning was right now.
“Ha, haha…”
In the end, with nothing else to say, I could only awkwardly laugh like that.
