--Night . Pasta's home.

　Today is the day that the finalists were chosen, and it was also the anniversary of the rare event of a live commentary between Futa and Pasta.

　The maids had made Leafy sit at the birthday table, dressed her in a dress, decorated the dining room with decorations, and set out many of their best dishes to make this day a big celebration.

　He was sitting her down.


I'm not happy at all! I'm not happy at all!


　Leafy was on the verge of tears.
　It felt worse than being decapitated.

　Futa, the (fake) head of the family, and his (fake) sister, Pasta, were both incredibly gloomy.
　The difference between the party-like decorations and myself in my flamboyant dress was so drastic that I was desperately seeking help from the maid.

　But the maid was useless, she just flicked her lips.

"Hey, hey, hey!　Pasta!　What's wrong with you?
Congratulations on making it to the finals. I'm rooting for you too. Keep up the good work.
"What's with the canned praise?　Is this the village chief's morning meeting?
Ha. ......
That's a big sigh!　It's a big sigh!
What are you talking about, the first champion of the worst air quality at the dinner table?
Why did you have to put so much effort into the words?　I'm so hurt!　...... I'm sorry. ！！！！　I'll apologize, but please don't give me that vibe!
I'll take the second one. Good for you.
I'm glad you're here." "I admit it and I'm not going to fix it!

　I think I did pretty well...
　I thought I did pretty well, but my disappointed mutterings melted away in the cafeteria.

Help me, big brother!
"......
Hey!　Futa!
Oh, it's me.
You're not okay with ......, are you, ......?

　You're not the only one who's going to find out that your siblings are lying.
　But Futa doesn't notice the words that I put in my mind.

　However, unlike Pasta, Futa's face is clearly marked with "I'm sorry".
　To Reefy, to Corona.
　And probably to Pasta as well.

　Seeing the expression on his face that he seemed to be taking it all in stride, Reefy couldn't be too hard on him.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.
I can't even read the air!
Maid, I can't read the air. ？？？？
You say that yourself?

　But I won't let down the cup I raised.
　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've.
　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　But even with the pressure of the maids, the red-haired girl could not hold on.
　The red-haired girl only took a boring glance and proceeded with her cutlery.
　As if to throw off the air.

　The maid let out a sigh as if she couldn't help it - and then, as if suddenly realizing, she clapped her hands.

"Oh, right. Maid, I forgot to buy sugar. I'll go get some.
That's unusual. ....... But it's raining. I'll go.
Oh, ......, I'll spoil the maid. ....... Leafy, will you escort me?
Oh, oh!　I'm totally going!　I want to get rained on so badly right now!

　I don't know how much I hate this air.
　Leafy stands up halfway through his meal. Futa emptied his plate at an unusual speed and stood up.
　It's too poor to fool a nobleman, but I'm glad he's eating cleanly, so I won't go into it.

　Let's go, let's go, let's go. As soon as she saw Futa leaving, Corona heard a voice on her back.

What are you doing?

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I don't know. Maid, I don't know anything about the situation. I don't know anything about it, maid.
What? What's a witch? ...... You're a very different character than the witches of old.
Everyone's a manager!
............ Yeah, right.



　With her cheek resting on her cheek, she threw her gaze to the rain-soaked window and muttered.

I have no reason to talk to you.
"Is it because you're the princess's maid?
"......
And because she's Futa-sama's valet?
......
N-n-n-n-dee-dee.

　Both of those answers were correct.
　I'm human. There is more than one reason.
　It was a combination of factors that made me decide not to talk. I just pushed him away.
　But there is one reason that is the biggest of them all.

"Because we're not on your side?
"............ You know exactly what I mean.

　I'm not sure what to make of that.

　I'm sure you'll understand.
　I've been strangely bonded to her since I started calling her Futa. The first corner of the eye is not visible.

　I'm not sure what to do. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your vacation.

　But then, Corona somehow understood.

"The maid... The maid doesn't know anything about how pasta lives.

　She sat down on a nearby chair.
　She hugged the back of the chair in front of her, her legs slouched open, a girl with red hair in front of her. The girl in front of you has red hair.

I'm not going to listen to you brag about your misfortune either.
The maid is happy now, okay?
"What?

　She bit her lip involuntarily.
　She wanted to scream that she knew. She wanted to scream that she knew, but she was the one who had brought unhappiness into the face of happiness.
　Her jade eyes looked straight through her.

"I've been through a lot with Pasta, and the maid was kind of angry with Pasta, so I kind of kept her away. But the maid doesn't hate Pasta.
"...... is bullshit. So what?

　I don't hate you. "I don't hate you." That's all anyone can say.
　Her life wasn't warm enough to be deceived by such flattering words.
　So I glared at her. But...

"So. The maid won't hurt you, no matter what.
What?

　As she stood up, her chair rolled away from her.
　The hand she raised was a reflex. I tried to slap the woman in front of me, but I couldn't shake her. He just looked up at her with a smile on his face, motionless.

"How can you say that?
I can. Hey, pasta.

　"Hey, Pasta. The maids, too, have their own problems.

"The maid, Futa-sama. The maid, Futa-sama, even the princess. It's time to stop measuring people by their distance from you.
"......
The maid and Futa are close, yes. But you know what? For example, let's say Futa-sama and Pasta have a fight. Maid, you're not going to be Pasta's enemy.
What are you trying to say? ......!

　"What are you trying to say?
　You can't shake it, you can't contain it, it's just a feeling in limbo.

　You measure people by their distance from you. Those words are the truth of pasta.
　I've kept you away. I've pushed them away.

　Because it was easier to understand.
　I didn't know who was my enemy and who was my friend and I was afraid of being betrayed.
　Not like my sister who manipulated all of them.
　She kept them all at arm's length and connected them through the bond of profit.

　It's not loneliness, it's solitude.

　Only when you're hurting can you understand what they're feeling.

"What I'm trying to say is...

　That's why I didn't want to hear it.

Futa-sama will not become Pasta's enemy, even if the princess orders him to.
That's ............
It's impossible. Because Futa-sama likes Pasta a lot.


"Why are you a little frustrated?
Because I'm not happy, a**h*le.
What?　You're the ...... idiot.

　Slowly, he lowered his hand.
　I was sick and tired of this nonsense. I poked the underside of her cheek with my tongue and turned my gaze away from her.
　I wonder where this woman's naive ideas really came from.
　--You can feel how hard she's been living her life from the way she talks.

　This is why I don't like creepy witches.

"Are you going to lecture Futa like this, too?

　I asked her with my back to her.
　The witch replied.

"I'll talk to Futa-sama too. But the maid is going to lecture her friend. Lick it.
"Ha!

　She snickers and walks away.
　Sermon, sermon. She raised the corners of her mouth in amusement that anyone would lecture that woman.














　--Midnight.

　After buying some sugar, Futa puts the bag away in the kitchen and returns to her room to find the maid rolling around in bed.

　From the front, you can see the top of her head with a headdress.
　She was rolling around, to the right and to the left, with two tassels of gold attached to her like the handles of a cart.

　Futa had been looking at it for a while, and had forgotten to say anything to it.
　She looked up at him and her eyes met his.

"Ho!
I'm back.
Hmm.

　Strangely enough.
　Futa thought that there was nothing more gratifying than seeing her when he was tired.

　He took a breath and sat down on the sofa in his room.
　She rolled over on the bed and asked, "What happened?

What's going on?
"Will you listen to me?
I'll listen all night.
That's a lot of work for both of us. ......

　He smiled and looked up at the ceiling.
　This is the house of Pasta, the villa of the Orba Trading Company.
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You've got your hands full. Don't you ever worry about me again.


　I had no idea what she was going to say.
　Lilac had said she'd been used as bait. From the way she reacted, it seemed she was running away uninformed.

　It's not that I don't have thoughts.

　It's just.

"My hands are full," she said.
"Oh, no. ......

　Her face is so comical, it looks like she's about to have a batten mark on her face.
　It's not that I'm not a fan of the idea, but it's just that I don't really feel like I'm trying to give Futa a pep talk.

"Well.

　I'm not sure what to say.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who can't wait to see what happens next. Pasta. Do you remember that Mopi and Pasta were seated right in front of the execution table?
...... Oh.

　I'll think about it sometime.
　The execution table where Corona was pulled out after the game.
　When I ran out to save her, Huta was still carrying the title of Orba Trading Company.

　The Orba Chamber of Commerce took full responsibility, and Pasta - Beatrix disappeared from the stage.

　That time.

　I'm sure it was because she saw the exchange between Huta and Corona right in front of her eyes that she thought.


"You're here now, aren't you, with your hands full?

"Your hands are already full.


　I knew I remembered.
　I didn't take it so seriously.

　But...

"The maid knows a little about pasta.
"You do?
Yeah. We're all good friends. I don't know why. I'm alone. I just don't know what's different.

　The answer, for Corona, was her profession.

"Right in front of me. The answer was "occupation" for Corona, but "when you see a person in front of you with a certificate that says, 'We are good friends. "I'm not sure if I'm a good friend or not."
"......
By the way, I'm a maid!　It's like a secret between the two of you, you know each other's past and stuff!　It's like a secret between the two of us.


I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

　I'd tell you that story right now, but...
　I'm sure that's not what Corona wants either.

　What's important is that Futa, with his hands full, decides between Pasta's life and Lilac's orders.

"I'll give you my life.

　No one knows what Futa told Lilac.
　But there must have been something more eloquent than words in his behavior.

　It's not like Corona or Pasta couldn't feel it.

　That's why Futa's "concern" is so cheap to Pasta.
　If he comes to help her in the trap that Lilac has created, it will seem like a trap, a joke, or a harassment from Lilac.

It doesn't make sense to say it out loud, does it?
"No.

　"No, it doesn't." These words of persuasion are just empty deceptions.
　There's no way you can get through to that "manager.

"...... What do you want, Mr. Futa?
You mean you want to save the pasta?
Yes. Maybe you can still do your job. Pasta seems to think that we should keep our distance and have a working relationship.
I see. I don't like that.
No. ......

　This is not something I'm going to tell Corona or Lilac.
　But for Futa, Pasta was the only person he felt comfortable talking to.

　They both knew each other's dirty parts, and they were able to expose the parts of themselves they didn't want anyone to see. They were close enough to be business partners that they didn't need to mend their relationship.

　In fact, it's closer than Corona and even closer than Lilac.
　That's why this incident has shaken the feelings of many people.

　For Corona, I want her to be happy.
　I want Lilac to achieve her dreams.
　I don't care how much I have to sacrifice for that.

　Then where is the pasta?

　I want Corona to be happy.
　I want Lilac to make her dreams come true.
　I don't care how hard I have to work to make that happen. And since I'm here, use the pasta too.

　That's how close I am to grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and pulling you into my arms.
　Convenient, you might say.
　But that's not the case with Futa.
　Pasta, too, used Futa as if he were a carriage horse.

　Because of this distance between them, Pasta has become a very special person for Futa.

　That too.
　It's more eloquent than words, and your daily behavior is what attracts people around you.

　That's why they've become strangely attached to each other, and the result is this.

　If you ask me what I want to do...

　If you ask me what I want to do, how I want to turn her around when she turns her back on me.


"I'm going to make more money off of you than Spectacular itself. I'll do the thinking for you and you can work as hard as you want.

"Now that I've been paired with him, I can prove that I can do it without a job."



　With him.



"But what I hate the most is people who think it's okay to lose at .......

"I'm going to win.

I'm not going to play with you unless you do.



　I want to win with him.
　I want to win with him. I want to give him a win, just once.


"I wanna make my win a win for him. No, I want us to win.

　To do that, you can't just have a business relationship.
　I don't want it to go back to being acrimonious.

　Just enough to share the win.
　Yeah. Not unless you're in the same circle at a meeting like today.


"Thanks for the ......, Corona.
It means a lot!　You know, ......?
Hmm?

　Corona throws herself on Futa's bed once more.

　You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

　After a long moment of contemplation, she sat up and said, "I'm going to fight with the maid.

"Do you want to fight with the maid?
I'd rather die than fight with Corona.
"...... something!!!!

　The maid rolled over on her haunches once more.