"Eh? I even had the Signal Axe ready for you."
Hearing Sakiko's answer, Kamijou Mutsuki actually looked somewhat disappointed.
'So what exactly are you disappointed about?! And what on earth is a Signal Axe?!'
"But since Sakiko-sensei doesn't have any other ideas," Kamijou Mutsuki said as he took out his phone, "then I shall fulfill my promise to my 'second brother'."
'What promise?'
Before Sakiko could even react, she heard Mutsuki speak into the phone: "Come to Tokyo tomorrow to pick someone up. Send him to a construction site in Australia to pour concrete."
"A construction site?"
Sakiko finally remembered what the promise was. But she recalled her scumbag father saying it was a high-paying job where he could travel the world, and that it was a "hot major"?
As for Sakiko's doubts, Kamijou Mutsuki naturally had his justifications.
High pay: He'd pay ten times the salary—whether her father actually had the chance to spend it was none of his business.
Travel the world: He had construction sites all over the globe; if he got tired of pouring concrete, he could go dig in a mine.
Hot major: He never specified when it was a hot major. Who says civil engineering isn't a popular field?
After explaining this to Sakiko, Mutsuki spoke into the phone again.
"...No need to work him to death. He's not the usual scumbag this time. Wait, no—he is a scumbag."
"But he's not an ordinary scumbag."
"He's a scumbag with a daughter, a scumbag named Togawa."
"Aside from Sakiko-sensei, no one has the right to finish him off."
"However, don't give him special treatment either. As long as he doesn't die and his health stays intact, it's fine."
"Oh, right—you guys can drink beer in front of him, but don't let him have a drop."
"By the way, don't leave him at just one site. Let him rotate through projects all around the world!"
'Wanted to dump Sakiko on me so you could slack off? Go pour concrete!'
"...What does Sakiko-sensei think of my arrangement?" After settling the father's fate, Mutsuki turned to the girl beside him and asked with a smile.
"I have no objections!" Sakiko replied without a hint of hesitation.
Thinking about it carefully, this was indeed a good arrangement. Her previous idea of waiting for her scumbag father to change his mind on his own had been too naive. He was a piece of trash, and trash doesn't change through self-reflection; it requires external intervention.
'Want to rot away? Go pour concrete for me!'
Recalling her past, what had she been working so hard to earn money for? Hadn't it all been for him? And yet, he didn't understand her efforts at all, spending every day drinking and stagnating.
He deserved to be disciplined by someone like Kamijou Mutsuki, to let him know what's what! If he kept rotting away like this, what would happen in the future? Going out to pour concrete was much better than rotting at home.
Sakiko was certain of this.
'This is all for his own good!'
If Sakiko's father knew what these two were thinking, he would surely run away in the middle of the night.
After all, not letting him rot away and drink, but forcing him to go to a construction site to pour concrete—that was a fate worse than death!
"Oh, right, Sakiko,"
At that moment, as if suddenly remembering something, Kamijou Mutsuki took out a card and handed it to the girl.
"This is your salary. I forgot to give it to you earlier."
"Salary?"
The girl wore a look of confusion. She still had a salary? Hadn't it all been used to pay off her debt?
"Didn't I say it before? Only a portion goes toward the debt."
After all, he couldn't actually let Sakiko-sensei wander off to find her own food like a stray whenever she got hungry.
"No, use all of it to pay off the debt," Sakiko-sensei insisted, refusing the card. "I know you want to help me, but I don't need it!"
Even though the guy in front of her was surreal, Sakiko could sense his goodwill—even if there wasn't much of it. After all, while he had initially used the debt to make her voice his anime, he hadn't made her do much else since then. He didn't act like a boss, and the contract was so loose it felt like charity.
He was definitely a "trash" person who enjoyed watching the world from the sidelines for fun, but he wasn't stingy with small acts of kindness. This was one of those times, but she didn't need it!
"Regarding going to your house—just as that man said, I will do what I am supposed to do!"
Even though Kamijou Mutsuki had previously hinted she could just live there, she had still refused. Her pride as a young lady wouldn't allow her to accept a free ride.
"Won't you making it look like I, your elder, am being heartless?" Mutsuki said, stroking his chin.
"I never acknowledged that! Forget that weird stuff immediately!"
Kamijou Mutsuki successfully made the girl's face darken again.
"Alright then, don't regret it."
"I absolutely won't."
"Fine, but take this one at least."
As Mutsuki spoke, he stuffed another card into the girl's hand.
"You still need to eat, and there are various household items to buy for the villa. Or has Sakiko-sensei already mastered photosynthesis and prepared herself for a life of 'five-finger discounts'?"
"..."
This time, Sakiko did not refuse.
After all, managing a villa that large was no simple task. Once she moved to Kamijou Mutsuki's place, she figured she wouldn't be able to keep her customer service job.
Since she had school during the day, if she still had to go to part-time work after classes, when exactly would she have time to manage the house?
Even if it didn't come down to "learning photosynthesis" like Kamijou Mutsuki suggested, it was impossible for her to go through daily life without spending a single cent.
"Deduct it from my salary," Sakiko-sensei said firmly.
Then, watching the scenery flash by outside the window, the girl couldn't help but feel a sense of daze. So much had happened today, and from here on out, she was about to welcome a completely different life.
What would happen next?
She didn't know. However, given Sakiko's personality, she clearly wasn't one to dwell on such questions for long. She quickly composed her emotions.
'Goodbye, Father. And goodbye to my own weakness!'
-----------------------------------
"Saki-chan?"
Looking at her childhood friend, Mutsumi—the "Wood-head"—tilted her head in confusion. It was one thing for him to come home late; he had at least given her a heads-up. But why did he bring Sakiko along? Please don't tell her he just "picked her up" on the side of the road.
"The situation is a bit complicated, so I won't over-explain," Kamijou Mutsuki said in response to Mutsumi's bewilderment. "In short, Sakiko-sensei is now our household maid."
"Why a maid?" Sakiko couldn't help but knit her brows. She saw herself more as a housekeeper or a domestic worker.
"A huge villa like this needs a maid for the aesthetic to feel right, don't you think?" Mutsuki replied. "Besides, I like it!"
'That's the real reason, isn't it?'
Sakiko didn't push the matter further. After all, it was just a title; the work remained the same. However, she soon realized she had been naive once again.
"Saki-chan, since you're a maid, you should at least have the basic professional qualities of one, right?"
...................