Nozomi sat on her heels, trying her best not to wince from the pain in her stomach. She just finished sparring with her martial arts teacher, Kanrin Mark. Typically their spars were light, but today was different: it was a full-on battle between master and student, a final ritual to end her four years of training in karate.
Who’d think that the school janitor would be a master in the martial arts? He made her look silly with the black belt tied around her waist. Nozomi worked hard for that belt, yet all it took was a single opening– a single punch in the stomach to end it. Her last spar ended just like her first spar: utter humiliation.
Despite that…
“You did well, Nozomi. Four years worth of training has led you to this moment, how do you feel?” said her teacher, who sat across from her.
Hurt. She ached, but that wouldn’t be an appropriate answer. “I’m a little disappointed that it ended like it did. There was so much more I could have done in that fight but… I left myself open.”
He nodded slightly. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched. What matters is: do you feel more in control than you did on your first day?”
Control… right, that was the reason for him training her. This training helped her conquer that terrifying power she held within. Was it a chance encounter, or was it fate? Perhaps; had he not stopped her in the halls during her darkest hours, she may have been an entirely different person today. For that, she was forever thankful.
Nozomi bowed deeply, “Thank you for all of your help, Master Kanrin.”
“While you have graduated from school, as well as my training, that doesn’t mean this is the end. It’s just the next leg to your path. You are your own master now. It is up to you to determine where and how you will continue practicing what it is that I’ve taught you, whether that be pursuing an official dojo, or practicing by yourself.”
“I understand.” She nodded.
“Do you have any ideas about where you will go from here? Not just in training, but in general. College? A job? I know you’re a miko at Shin Tako Jinja, but I was wondering if you had any plans beyond that.”
Nozomi hadn’t given it much thought. She was more than just a miko, she lived at the shrine as well. Ever since she turned eighteen, she was expelled from her home by her parents, and the kannushi (priest) was the only one who’d take her in with no rent. “No, I haven’t.”
Maybe she could go to college? But what would be her focus of study? Her head hurt thinking about it.
Kanrin Mark seemed to be relieved. “I see, then I have a proposal as well as some news.”
“Oh?”
“Starting tomorrow I will be training a new student, as part of a promise I made to an old friend of mine.” A new student? She was shocked. He only trained Nozomi out of what he felt was a necessity. Kanrin was open about his dislike towards training people, Nozomi was his first, and now he’s taking in a second? “Keikan Mirai is who I will be training, as I have promised to Keikan Ren.”
“K-Keikan?!” Nozomi stuttered. This school janitor was friends with the richest family in town? Friends with the noble Keikan family, descendants of the Ishiken Clan? They’re town heroes!
“Keikan Ren saved my life. It was a cold winter night, a rare blizzard was blowing through the countryside, piling snow so thick that my brother had trouble seeing. He was the playful type, and he wanted to test our truck’s speed despite the weather, and in spite of my warning to take it easy. He hit a sheet of ice and the truck rolled into a ditch. Ren and his partner were the first to arrive on the scene. They pried the doors off and pulled us out… but only one of us lived to tell the tale.”
“I’m so sorry…” Nozomi frowned, “I didn’t know about your brother.”
“I’ve mourned for him enough, though I miss him every day. I’m thankful that it wasn’t both of us dead, and it’s thanks to the swiftness that Ren acted that I’m able to train you today.” He then shifted the subject, “And that brings me to the proposal: the Keikan Mansion is looking for a new housekeeper and a babysitter for his daughter Mirai.”
“A babysitter? How old is she?”
“Seven.”
“Seven?!” Nozomi’s eyes widened. How did he expect to train a seven year old in the same intense martial arts that he trained her in?
“He’s willing to pay a living wage, free housing, and food to whoever is willing to clean and protect the property as well as take care of Mirai. It’s a lot of work… but I think you’re the most capable for the task.”
She did need a home… but man, she sucked at dealing with children! Not to mention that cleaning a large home would take forever… but it was free… she’d be stupid not to do it.
-_-
Nozomi still couldn’t believe it. She was going to be living with the wealthiest family– heroes, staples of this small rural town. Behind those silver gates she stood in front of now, was a great three-story tall mansion styled like a shrunken-down Japanese castle.
She didn’t dress for this introduction, but to be fair, she wasn’t capable of dressing much better than the faded blue dress and stray piece of rope tied about her waist. Around her neck she wore a steel pentagram.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Nozomi inhaled through her nose and sighed. She pressed the speaker button on the gates.
“Hello?” Spoke a male voice, who she inferred to be Keikan Ren.
“I-I’m Nozomi-” She stuttered a bit, “I-I’m here to ask– to inquire about the maid– er, housekeeping position.”
“Nozomiiiii…?” He stretched out the ‘i’ as if she were missing something. “Nozomi… do you have a surname?”
Nozomi shook her head, “No, it’s just ‘Nozomi’.”
“... I see. I’ll be out in a moment.” The speaker clicked, and so did the lock to the front gates. Nozomi slowly pushed it open and began to walk across the stone pathway that led to a small bridge over a stream, then to the steps to the large mansion doors.
Though the plot of land was far larger than any other home in the neighborhood, the land that formerly made the Keikan Estate was sold during the town’s effort for modernization. All that truly remained of this historical sight was its great mansion, whose owner greeted her at the front door, wearing his police uniform.
“Welcome in, Nozomi–” Ren made a rather strange face when he saw Nozomi’s ragged outfit and the small grocery bag of items she carried. He seemed to understand her situation and nodded, deciding not to speak further on it. “Whatever you need, we will provide. Let’s just get you familiar with the place.”
While the outside of the mansion oozed with the styling of a traditional Japanese castle, the inside was a blend between traditional Japanese and modern; perhaps the interior was renovated to match the technology of the modern times. The kitchen was massive, the living room even greater. Up a flight of wooden stairs led them to the second floor, where Ren showed her the bedrooms, followed by the third floor and the bathrooms.
The tour ended with Nozomi’s room, which was on the first floor, next to the closet where all of her cleaning items were kept. Compared to the other bedrooms, this one was very basic and minimalist. The walls were cream, the bed a simple twin-size, and an end table and dresser where she could place her items. It wasn’t fancy, but it’s not like she needed fancy.
“If you have any questions, you already have my phone number. Mirai will be returning from school in a few hours.” Ren said as he checked his phone for the time, and saw a message from the station. “Right, I have to be at the police station in a few minutes, so I’ll leave you to get acquainted with the place.”
Nozomi nodded and bowed, “Thank you for your help, Keikan Ren.”
Ren casually waved as he walked out, then his pace turned into a run as he realized that he was running out of time. Nozomi heard distant shouting “Oh shoot I’m gonna be LAAATE!”, and she couldn’t help herself from giggling.
-_-
Now that she was here all alone, what was she supposed to do? She did plenty of cleaning during her training with Kanrin Mark, but the mansion seemed to be in good shape. Occasionally she wiped her hand across some tables. Whatever seemed dusty, she dusted, and whatever had smears, she wiped with a wet towel.
During her exploration, Nozomi stopped by a room on the second floor that Keikan Ren never showed her. She wasn’t sure why. Nozomi slowly opened the door, revealing to her a room with bright blue walls decorated in yellow and golden star stickers. Plushies were piled on a full-size bed, whose covers and blankets were strewn across the floor.
“This is such a cute bedroom!” Nozomi gasped as she avoided stepping on the toys littered across the floor. She replaced the blue star-patterned covers and began to tidy up the space. “She really has a theme… yellow stars on a blue background.”
tug tug. She felt her dress being pulled. Nozomi spun around, seeing a little girl with long blue hair with a white bunny-ear headband, wearing an elementary school uniform.
“This is my room.” Mirai said quietly, frowning. “Who are you? Are you the new maid?”
“--” Nozomi froze for a second, “I am! I am your new maid.”
Mirai stared at her outfit, as if she were unconvinced. “You look like a homeless person… I’m not supposed to talk to homeless people.”
“I–” (“I know she’s right but did she have to be so blunt?”) Nozomi thought, “Well today is my first day. I was just thinking about tidying up a bit and–”
Then Mirai snatched her wrist and dragged Nozomi out the door. “This is MYYY room! GET OOOOUT!” And then she slammed the door in Nozomi’s face.
She was stunned. Nozomi was only trying to help… though maybe she was wrong for impeding on Mirai’s space. Nozomi bowed deeply, “Please forgive me, Mirai-sama.”
This was going to be harder than she thought. Once she got to cooking dinner, Nozomi was at a total loss. She forgot that one of her jobs was cooking meals, and she hadn’t a clue how to work a kitchen! She frantically browsed the fridge and pantry whilst Mirai sat in the living room, watching cartoons.
Her stomach growled. “I’m hungrrrryy!” Mirai whimpered.
“I’m working on– I mean it’ll be ready in a few minutes!” Nozomi had to watch how she spoke too, she didn’t want to upset Mirai again. Nozomi ended up finding some leftover rice, a tuna lunch packet, and other items she could scavenge to craft a pseudo-sushi of sorts.
“What do you think?” Nozomi asked when Mirai ate her share.
“...” Mirai withheld her words for a moment, causing Nozomi’s anxiety to spike. “...if you don’t know how to cook, that’s okay.”
Nozomi sighed, thinking (“Yeesh you’re blunt… I didn’t think it was THAT bad”) .“I see, then how about some sandwiches then?”
“Why didn’t you start with that?”
(“I was trying to be creative! But– good point.”) and so they ate sandwiches, and Nozomi found some mints to act as a palate cleanser.
Now all that was left for her to do today was to read Mirai a bedtime story. This was the only time Mirai allowed Nozomi– or anyone, rather, in her room.
Once Mirai was tucked under her covers, Nozomi sat in a chair next to her to read the first book on the stack.
Mirai stayed quiet the entire time, listening to the story, even if she heard it before. After it was read, Nozomi got up to leave, but was stopped by Mirai’s concerned voice:
“Nozomi, are you going to leave?”
“Well– yes,” Nozomi noticed the sorrow buried in Mirai’s tone. “I have to sleep too.”
“No, leave leave.” She said. “Like the last one… Mirai made her mad.”
“Oh!” Nozomi was stunned that she’d mention such a thing when they’ve only just met. Mirai made the last maid leave? While Nozomi had her doubts, it seemed Mirai was still disturbed by it. “It couldn’t have been your fault.”
“We fought. She wanted me to go to bed… I was playing games. I was mad so I said that I hated her. She left two weeks later.”
Nozomi sat back down. She wasn’t sure what to make of it all, but she tried her best to show sympathy. “I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, she may have wanted to move on and try new things.”
“...because of me.”
“Hey!--” Nozomi refuted, looking directly into Mirai’s golden eyes. “And like me… see, I’m trying new things too! If it was your fault, and she never told you, then that’s her fault for a lack of communication. But that’s her, and I’m me, and Nozomi will always tell you when she’s mad. You haven’t given me a reason to hate you… and from all I know about you, I like you.”
“You do?” Mirai smiled, but only for a moment.
“Until you give me a reason not to. Now, sleep well, Mirai-sama.” Nozomi smiled as she turned off the lamp and walked away.
So this was her life now.