Volume 15 - Back to Business, Chapter 115 - Maid Mentoring
"I don't need to hide my animal ears, because I want to hear your voice!"
A cheerful pop song broke the early morning silence of a cozy bedroom. It was Yuisu's alarm, telling her that she needed to get up for another day of managing the Mountain Lily Inn.
To mute the noisy phone, she scrambled across the nest-like pile of blankets and pillows that she and Haru called their bed. In the process, she accidentally pulled the sheets with her, revealing the wonderfully toned and curved body of her harpy girlfriend. A flare of arousal shot up in the back of Yuisu's mind, but she ignored it; her 'Yuri-su' side was still pretty satisfied from the night before.
Yuisu had been dead tired when she'd gone to sleep, but Haru climbing into bed had awoken her in the middle of the night. At first, Yuisu had tried to go back to sleep, until Haru snuggled against her in a way that clearly said 'I'm in a mood for sex'. And Yuisu never could abandon Haru in her time of need.
As Yuisu climbed out of bed, a wide yawn proved that she was still a little short on sleep. However, those late-night escapades had been an equally important kind of relaxation.
Yuisu pulled on some panties and a random t-shirt, since she was going to change again after her bath. Then she picked out some clothes for the day and shuffled into the hallway.
The house was quiet, with the only sounds coming from outside: wind in the trees and birds tweeting in the distance. Chione, Haru, and Mara would all be asleep for hours yet, while Tsuen was probably already jogging down to her job at Sports Club Kobold.
Yuisu assumed that her final homestay Aluru was either sunning herself somewhere or still asleep. But in her own room or a guest's? Yuisu wondered briefly.
She stepped into the laundry room and set her clothes on a counter. Then she finally noticed two things about the room: the counters were all sparkling even though Yuisu hadn't gotten around to cleaning them, and there was another pile of folded clothes there, all black and white.
Yesterday's events started to come back to Yuisu. Oh right, Rem cleaned this room to prove her abilities. It really does look amazing, Yuisu thought sleepily. And those must be Lato's clothes. I wonder what kind of panties she wears, with that tail of hers…
"Oh, good morning, Yuisu!"
The chipper voice startled Yuisu out of her lewdly wandering thoughts. She spun around to find a cloud of steam billowing out of the bathing room door, and a beautiful vision emerging from it.
It was Lato, but in a way Yuisu had never seen: her astoundingly long snow-white hair was free of its normal braid and it cascaded down her body, nearly to the floor.
"Uh, g'morning," Yuisu replied as she struggled to process the sheer volume of gorgeous locks. She would have felt bad about ogling Lato's body like that, except she could barely see it under the layers of wet white hair. "I guess I never realized how long your hair really is, Lato. It's very impressive and beautiful."
Lato grinned as she walked the rest of the way into the room, droplets of still-warm water falling to the floor with each step. Her cyan-scaled tail wiggled happily, flinging a few more water drops around. "Thank you, Yuisu. Hair this long is a ton of work to maintain, and sometimes I wonder if it's worth the effort, but I still like it."
Yuisu just nodded. She had thought her own shoulder-blade-length hair was pretty long, at least until she met Haru, Iormu, and especially Lato. Maybe liminals' hair grows faster than humans'?
While Yuisu was lost in thought, Lato wrapped a towel around her midsection and said, "I'm going to brush and braid it now, before we start training the new hires. Have a good bath."
With that reminder of her responsibilities, Yuisu jolted into motion. "Thanks. Seeya in a bit," she said, then she pulled off her clothes and entered the house's expansive bathing room.
One wall offered several faucets with maneuverable shower heads, with a sitting stool in front of each. The other half of the room was dedicated to a large bathing pool, which was kept full of hot water throughout the day. The room was available to inn guests who wanted a more traditional Japanese bathing experience, but most were content with the Western-style bathrooms in the cabins for washing and the hot spring for relaxing.
Yuisu washed her hair and body at a faucet then relocated and settled down into the pool. For the most part, the hot spring was better for soaking, but the indoor pool was still nice, especially for quiet contemplation. In that peaceful setting, Yuisu started to ponder the rest of the day and how she should train her two new maids.
She wanted to get the new girls educated on all the various duties around the inn, but she also wanted to maximize Lato's time with them. Lato was only in town for two more days and Yuisu wanted to make them count.
Yuisu soaked and planned for ten more minutes, then reluctantly rose from the comfortable water. She still needed to eat breakfast before the maids arrived at 8 and there wasn't much time left.
After quickly drying and brushing her relatively short hair, she got dressed in the sporty jean shorts and tank-top she'd picked out earlier. It didn't look the part of a boss or manager, but the outfit was comfortable and easy to clean in. Perfect for a busy day of mentoring maids.
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Yuisu was in the kitchen gathering ingredients for her breakfast when a voice rang out, nearly startling her into dropping two eggs on the floor.
"Good morning, Boss. Do you mind if I call you that?"
Yuisu turned to find a tiny woman in light blue pajamas sitting on the kitchen table. It was Rem, and her arms and legs were wrapped around a big bowl of dry cereal.
Yuisu felt a pang of guilt for forgetting that Rem had stayed the night. "Oh, good morning, Rem. I guess 'Boss' is fine, though it will take some getting used to. I've never been someone's boss before…"
Rem broke a large piece of cereal in half and stuffed one part in her mouth. As she chewed, she watched Yuisu with a curious, observant expression. There was a strange nervous energy around the little gremlin, like she didn't know what to do with herself.
Yuisu resumed making her breakfast and said, "Do you want anything else with your cereal? Maybe something to drink?"
Rem replied, "Nah, I'm good. Tsuen offered already and poured me some juice."
"Oh, okay." Yuisu blinked as she worked out the timeline in her head, I woke up about 30 minutes ago, and Tsuen probably left a half hour before that. Has Rem just been sitting there eating cereal for an hour?
"Just let me know if you need anything," Yuisu added, trying to fill the awkward silence. She already knew how to interact with guests and with homestays, but employee relationships were a new experience for her. "And you're free to use the bath, too."
Rem crunched into another sugary bit of cereal. It seemed she and Tsuen both liked high-energy carbs in the morning. Then she said, "I already did. I've been up since 5. I don't need much sleep."
Yuisu slid her simple veggie omelette onto a plate, then carried it to the table. As she sat down, she said, "Oh, that's fortunate, because I was going to ask if you could be on call at night, maybe alternating with me. The guests don't usually need anything too late, but things do come up occasionally." She lifted a fork of food to her mouth but paused and added, "I'd compensate you for the time, of course."
Rem smiled a warm and genuine smile. "Thanks! This may be premature, but you really do seem like a great boss, Boss. I'm up for the on-call thing, and you should know that despite my size, I can lift pretty heavy stuff and manage on my own."
Yuisu nodded back, "That's good to hear." Then she glanced at the stove to check the time. It was 7:45. "Training day starts soon. Are you going to have enough time to get ready?"
Rem stuffed one last bite of cereal in her mouth and hopped to her feet. "Yup," she said through her crunching teeth. "Jus' gotta get dressed."
Then she grabbed her empty bowl with both hands and leapt off the table. She landed gracefully on the floor, then after a few steps, she made the impressive leap up onto the kitchen counter. It seemed she had cat-like jumping abilities to match her ears. She set the bowl next to the other dirty dishes, likely from Tsuen's breakfast, and hopped back down to the floor.
In the blink of an eye, Rem disappeared around the corner, presumably heading to Mara and Tsuen's room to get changed. Yuisu stared after her, surprised by the tiny gremlin's agility, until she remembered her omelette and resumed eating.
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Anastasya arrived just before 8am, and she wasn't too surprised when Yuisu mentioned that another maid would be training with her. In fact, Sya was relieved that she wouldn't be alone in her new job. At least until she actually met her unusual new coworker.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Oh, hey, a tiger lady, that's pretty sweet," Rem said as Sya entered the kitchen. Sya was wearing her regal outfit from the day before, so her ears, paws, and tail were clearly visible. Then Rem wiggled her pink triangular ears and said, "I got cat ears too, so we're like distant cousins or somethin'."
Sya eyed the miniature woman with a heavy, unreadable expression. Then she said, "No, I do not believe our genetic lines converge within a meaningful number of generations."
Rem frowned and muttered, "Wow, buzzkill much?" Then she turned to Yuisu and said, "What's on the agenda, Boss? Gonna give us a tour of the grounds? Or show us all your leet cleaning techniques?"
When both Yuisu and Sya looked confused, Rem explained, "Leet is short for 'elite'. It's a gaming thing, apparently. Mara taught me some stuff last night."
"Ah, that makes sense," Yuisu said. She was used to being confused by Mara's constant internet lingo, so this wasn't anything too new. "Actually, I would like to start with a tour of the facility, so to speak. You'll need to know where all the supplies are kept, and which places you'll be expected to keep clean."
Sya and Rem nodded in understanding, so Yuisu started the tour with the room they were standing in. "This is the house kitchen, which is just for resident use, for the most part. But since the guests do see it from time to time, I've asked all the homestay girls to keep it clean. If you do see a mess, feel free to clean it up, or let me know and I'll make the girl responsible do it."
Rem giggled, "Haha, make 'em clean up after themselves. Good move, Yuisu."
Sya looked like she had something to say to that, but she tightened her lips and looked away.
"Next is the entryway and the check-in desk. This is the first thing guests see, and first impressions are important, so let's work to keep it nice." Yuisu explained all the things to maintain in the entryway, then continued the tour, going over the rooms in the main house until they got to the center guest room, which Lato was staying in.
The monochrome-clad dragonewt emerged from her room already mid-apology. "Sorry for the delay, Yuisu, Rem, Sya. My hair was being a pain today. I think I didn't use enough conditioner."
Yuisu shook her head. "Uh, no problem, I was just giving them a tour of the grounds, which you don't really need to be here for."
Lato's copper eyes sparkled. "Oh, I'd like to tag along for that actually, if that's alright."
"Of course. We just covered which rooms belong to the homestay girls, so there's just the storage room left before we move on to the cabins and hot spring."
"This room has been many things over the years, including a small gym and even a bedroom for a couple weeks," Yuisu explained. "Nowadays, it just holds all the extra linens and non-perishable food for the cabins." Then she turned to Rem and said, "We could set aside some space in it for your room, if you'd like."
Rem looked around the room, which was small by normal standards, and said, "Nah, too big and open and bright. Got somewhere cozier, like a closet or crawlspace?"
At that, the constant scowl that Sya had been directing at Rem broke open like a collapsing dam, letting loose a rush of words, "I don't understand why Rem is getting special accommodations, or why she's already chummy with Yuisu. We're both new maids without prior experience, so I thought we would be starting on equal footing…"
Lato and Rem both went stiff and kept their mouths closed. Lato looked to Yuisu, letting her handle the situation.
"Um," Yuisu started. She hadn't properly explained Rem's situation, nor had she realized how much Sya had been bothered by it. She addressed Sya directly and said, "I'm sorry. This was my fault for not explaining better. Rem was looking for a place to stay, so I was considering"—she put extra emphasis on the word—"letting her live here in exchange for being on call at night."
Yuisu smiled and turned to Rem to add, "We still need to sit down and discuss the specifics, so nothing's final yet."
Rem nodded. "Of course." Then after stepping back so she wasn't just looking up Sya's skirt, she peered up at the tiger and said, "And I guess I'm already friendly with her because I stayed the night here last night, with Mara and Tsuen in their room."
Sya's expression softened, making her look her young age. "Oh, okay. I apologize for my unreasonable outburst."
Yuisu waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. In fact, it gave me an idea. Let's head out to the hot spring next."
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As was usual at such an early hour, the hot spring was unoccupied. Yuisu gave the two new employees a quick runthrough of all the things that needed to be maintained, ranging from cleaning the water filters to checking for forgotten belongings in the clothes cubbies. She finished with, "And make sure to wipe up any splashed water you see. I don't want anyone slipping in a puddle and getting hurt."
Before either maid could reply, Yuisu added, "Also, I have a special task for you two, starting right now."
Both women stood up straight and eager, highlighting the huge difference between their heights of 15 inches and nearly 6 feet.
Yuisu finished, "I want you to soak in the hot spring for a while, get to know each other, and unwind a bit."
Rem and Sya blinked in unison, then Rem's blue eyes went wide with delight. "Ooh, that sounds like fun. Doesn't it, Sya?"
Sya was slower to get on board. "Uh, do I have to? I am much calmer than earlier, and I'm sure I'll get to know Rem later on the job."
Yuisu put a kind hand on Sya's shoulder. "This is on the job. You're being paid to relax in a beautiful mountain hot spring. Pretty sweet deal, if I may say so myself."
Sya's little round ears twitched and her eyes darted bashfully to the left. "Alright, Yuisu. I'm not used to public bathing, but I suppose I'll need to be, in order to properly maintain this spring…"
Yuisu grinned and lifted her hand. "Perfect. While you two do that, I'll be meeting with Lato to plan the rest of the day. Seeya in an hour or so."
With that, Lato and Yuisu left through the changing room. They walked the short distance down the wood-plank path to the back porch, where they could sit in the comfy porch chairs and chat.
Back in the changing room, Rem started to strip. Under her grey hoodie and lavender dress, she wore pale blue side-tie panties and a matching camisole bra. The bra looked cute, but wasn't really necessary, given her rather flat chest.
Sya's face flushed red as she started to undress. Under her fancy noblewoman's clothes, she wore simple grey underwear. The bra was strapless to suit her cleavage-baring top, while the only remarkable thing about the panties was how low cut they were to accommodate her tail.
Both women finished undressing and stowed their clothes in separate cubbies. Sya's neatly folded dress filled a cubby over half full, while Rem's doll-sized clothes had been dropped haphazardly on the shelf with tons of room to spare.
Rem scurried from the room, calling, "Come on, Sya. I would like to have you around when I get in, so I don't drown. Being small can be dangerous, you know."
Sya caught sight of a tiny naked butt disappearing around the corner, then followed after. She crossed her arms on the way, shielding her sizable breasts from the cool morning air and possible wandering eyes.
Rem had already crossed the distance to the hot spring and sat down at the edge, her feet barely reaching the water's surface. Then she noticed Sya's shyness and said, "We're both girls, so there's no need to hide your boobs." Rem grinned and added, "Besides, you aren't even hiding that exotic black-and-white-striped bush…"
With a gasp of embarrassment, Sya flicked her tail around her side and covered her crotch with it. Or at least she tried to. Her thin tail didn't cover much, and it actually made the pose appear unintentionally seductive.
Rem just chuckled and said, "Sorry about teasing you. I'll look away while you get into the water." Then she made a show of admiring the scenery of pine trees and moss-covered boulders.
"Thank you…" Sya mumbled as she dipped a fur-covered foot into the hot water. She was used to extreme temperatures, so it didn't take long for her to submerge the rest of her body. Once only her shoulders and head were above water, she addressed Rem, "You mentioned wanting help getting in?"
Rem turned back to face her and nodded. "Yes, please. Can you just put out a hand, err, paw for me to step down on?"
Sya did as instructed, putting a large paw palm-up just above the steaming surface. "Like this?"
"Perfect!" Rem cheered before jumping down a few inches onto the makeshift platform. She quickly sat down on a pink paw pad and dunked her legs in the water. She jolted a bit from the sudden heat, but she seemed okay.
Sya, however, went stiff. She really didn't know what to do with herself while a tiny naked woman sat on her paw. And Rem's wiggling was kind of ticklish too…
Thankfully, Rem got used to the hot water quickly and hopped off Sya's palm. She paddled around at the surface for a moment, looking like a Barbie doll in a bathtub, then started treading water. "I can probably keep this up for a few minutes, then I'll need to find a shallow rock to sit on," she announced.
"Of course," Sya said. She was just glad that there was no more visible nudity. In her noble family, nudity was reserved for the most private of places, and Japan's fascination with public bathing was a bit overwhelming. To distract herself from her slight discomfort, Sya said, "So, Rem, what made you want to be a maid here?"
Rem pondered that for a moment, then said, "I guess I thought it was one of the only jobs that would suit me. I get to stay behind the scenes, helping out and doing whatever needs done, and I get to meet interesting travelers. What about you?"
Sya quickly answered, "I like order. I feel better when everything's in its proper place, and I'm good at organization, so being a maid just made sense." There was a pause so long that it seemed like she was done, then she said, "And I wanted to prove I could do this on my own. Back at home, I was expected to follow all my parents' plans, and my Exchange Program Host… she's nice, but she treats me like a child."
"Better that than a toy…" Rem said, almost too quiet to hear over her arms splashing at the water's surface.
"Pardon? What was that?" Sya asked. She had keen hearing and had heard the cryptic remark, but she wanted to give Rem a chance to elaborate, if desired.
"Nothing," she said hastily. "So you're still in the Exchange Program, huh? I guess you're younger than me after all."
Sya sat up stiffly. "I am seventeen, but I consider my young entrance into the exchange program to be a testament to my maturity."
Rem giggled at the impassioned response and at how it had unintentionally exposed Sya's nipples above the water. "Alright, alright. I meant no offense. As for me, I'm 21, and I, uh, finished my time in the exchange program about six months ago." Then she changed the topic. "What do you do for fun? Got any hobbies?"
The conversation went down that path for a while, branching off into various side topics. Just as they were starting to feel a bit overcooked for being in the hot spring for so long, Yuisu nudged her way through the changing room's rustic wood door.
"Hey, girls, how are you doing? Feeling relaxed?" she asked the two women who were still submerged in the spring.
They both nodded and Sya spoke up, "I feel great now, and I did get to know Rem better."
"Good, because we're going to make the rounds to the cabins now. We'll replenish their snacks, log the purchases, clean the bathrooms, the whole shebang. Come along."
Sya helped Rem climb up from her submerged rock onto dry ground, then carefully stood up herself. Despite feeling slightly more comfortable in the nude, she still covered her body with her large paws as she made her way to the changing room.
Lato was also in the room but, surprisingly, she was partially undressed. She told Yuisu, "If it's alright, I was going to take a dip myself. Come grab me when you need me."
"No problem. The next part of the tour is all me anyway," Yuisu said. She was trying to keep her eyes off Sya and Rem as they got dressed, since it wasn't right for her to ogle her employees. But, she did get a very nice look at a naked Lato. The petite-yet-busty dragonewt cut a very alluring figure as she wrapped her braided hair around her horns to keep it dry.
Even after Lato exited the changing room, Yuisu was lost in thought. The combination of the hot spring and Lato's sexiness brought flashbacks to all the times Yuisu and Haru had gotten intimate there. She remained zoned out until a voice caught her attention.
"Uh, Boss? Are you in there? We're all dressed now, so you can stop staring at the wall."
Yuisu cleared her throat and her head. "Oh, um, of course. Let's head to the cabins."