It was a calm afternoon that day. Within a room bestowed upon a guest—a benefactor—was a maid facing a young boy.
She wore a simple white brim on her head and a long black dress that concealed her ankles that was adorned with a frill white apron. She was a maid in the purest sense, untouched by the charm or allure often associated with maids in Japan.
She had been going back and forth with the boy for a while now with her usual expressionless face, though really it would be more fitting to say that she was making demands of him.
“No, really, it’s fine.”
“Please do as you’re told and sit on the bed.”
It was basically a repetition of that pattern. With her aquamarine long hair tied at the nape of her neck—a ribbon from her benefactor—flowing down her back, and standing tall with a straightened spine, she exuded a sculpted beauty, enhanced by her graceful figure. However, despite her undeniable allure, the unspoken pressure she emanated, and the gap in their height exerted a silent force that left the boy overwhelmed regardless of his superior strength. Above all, there was an unwavering determination in the maid’s amber eyes, before which the boy could do nothing more than surrender. He knew how pointless it was to try and change her mind when it came to her job.
──Ah, this is definitely that pattern where she’ll resort to force if I try to throw a tantrum.
Of course, she said nothing of the sort, but it was written all over her face. And with his arms still bandaged and on a sling, he wouldn’t be able to resist anyway. It seemed the maid had anticipated he would realize as much and give up. In the end, the boy could only resign himself to his fate.
“Please excuse me, Nakamura-sama.”
The maid bent down and peered at the boy sitting on the edge of the bed. Her dress and apron swayed from right in front of the boy, momentarily taking away his breath. That was proof that he was healthy. The maid was a little embarrassed to be on the receiving end of such a gaze, but such feelings lasted only for a moment. Theirs wasn’t the kind of relationship that she would be bothered by that.
She reached out for the boy’s clothes and unbuttoned them, carefully removing his jacket so as to not disturb his wounds. She made it seem so casual, but it was really meticulous work, showing just far she’s mastered the skills needed to take care of others.
“…”
“…”
Yet despite such skills, the sight of the boy’s naked upper body still made her freeze. She did her best not to let her anger show on her face, but that only made it more conspicuous. But of course, it was only because it was this boy that was in front of her that it could be noticed, so it was still subtle enough, a testament to her training as a servant to never let her true feelings show. This was probably the reason why the boy, Shinichi, didn’t want to expose himself to her, and Stella understood that.
His body had yet to recover. Though his fatal wounds have long closed, the scars on his body remained deep. There were even wounds that had to be forcibly closed because of how deeply wounded his whole body was. That’s why there were so many traces left on his body. But then again, that was only natural. After all, he’d been pushed to the brink of death. In fact, she couldn’t even believe that he was still in good health. Shinichi himself just saw it as him doing what he wanted, but Stella believed that it was a failure on their part as his escorts for allowing a situation where he had to go this far to protect them. In fact, all of the maids cursed themselves for their weakness. Worst of all was Stella, who had directly injured him, even if she had been controlled at the time. That’s probably why they couldn’t keep themselves from taking care of him anymore, going even as far as to wipe the sweat off of him.
“It’s part of my duties as a maid.”
“You’re a patient, so please rely on us some more.”
“I won’t do it everyday.”
“Please don’t mind it.”
They would say stuff like that and take care of him as they pleased. The manor was outfitted with a magnificent bath, but he couldn’t even use it in his current state. Of course, he was grateful for the help, but he also felt sorry for causing them so much trouble. They knew that, but there was no stopping the desire to help him, so they treated his wounds in a way that did not deviate from their job as maids an also allowed them to check on the progress of his treatment. That was true for Stella too.
“Please raise your hands. If it hurts somewhere, be absolutely sure to let me know right away.”
“Y-Yes.”
He nodded as though overwhelmed by her emphasis on the word “absolutely”.
Satisfied, she wiped his body with a towel dampened with warm water, being sure to wipe his chest, abdomen, flanks, armpits, shoulders, and neck.
Her hands moved about his body gently, taking care not to place the slightest burden on his injured body, effectively massaging him and doing away with the needless guilt. Stella was filled with pride during this moment.
“Next is your back. Excuse me.”
Then under the pretense that it was necessary, she sat herself on the bed to keep it from moving and reached for his back to wipe the areas she couldn’t wipe from in front. She clung tightly to him as she wiped him from beside with practiced movements, however…
“Umm… Stella-san?”
“There’s no need speak so formally with me. What is the matter?”
Her voice was composed, but her eyes were tinged with the color of concern. Had she made a mistake somewhere? Meanwhile, Shinichi was groaning while looking up at the ceiling, a slight blush on his cheeks.
“It’s touching me.”
Stella was about to ask him what he was talking about when she realized what it was of hers that was touching him.
“…I beg your pardon.”
They were too close for her to reach his whole back without reaching, so she ended up squashing her big breasts against him. Stella did not show any emotion on her face, but she backed off a little. Though her face remained expressionless, she scolded herself and made sure to be more careful. However, at the same time, she wondered why he reacted so strangely. The way he looked at the ceiling and desperately tried to keep himself from becoming conscious of her breasts, he was clearly embarrassed. Stella’s eyes twinkled as though she’d seen something new.
“That’s a surprise.”
“What is?”
“I thought you weren’t interested in women.”
“Please don’t say something that could be misunderstood!”
“Youko has been trying to seduce you for awhile now, but you continue to refuse her. I thought you were dry for someone so young.”
“Seriously? …Sigh.”
She pointed out what had been bugging her, and when she looked back at him, he looked the other way and let out an exhausted breath. She didn’t know if she was just imagining it, but his face still seemed red.
“Your face is too close.”
“What’s the matter?”
Despite being so close, Shinichi shook his head and muttered something she couldn’t hear, then he gave her a simple answer.
“I’m not okay with just any woman.”
“…”
Not knowing just how destructive those words were. The moment Stella understood the meaning hidden behind those words, her hands stopped. If the princess and the other maids were to see this, they would surely be shocked. After all, they knew just how dedicated Stella was to her job. They might have even taken that for the sign of an impending natural disaster, but of course, there was no way the boy could be privy to that.
“Hmm? What’s the matter?”
“…Nothing. Can I move to the back?”
“Okay.”
“Thank you very much.”
The bed did not shake in the slightest as she sat behind him, and neither did her skirt make sound. She removed her footwear and took care not to let anything above her ankles show, but deep inside, she was deeply shaken.
──Ah, that was dangerous.
She wiped Shinichi’s back with one hand while covering her mouth with the other. She did not expect him to say that out of the blue, so it took her by surprise and filled her with joy. Were it not for her desperately keeping a lid on it, her cheeks would have long loosened, and of course, she would rather die than have the boy see her make such an expression, so she fled behind him. Of course, she did not ponder on whether the happiness she felt was that of a maid or a woman.
“…!”
Regardless, the feeling of being special or superior had caught her off guard. But then of all things she had to see that. His back was covered with scars. A long cut from his right shoulder to the base of his left leg, and a puncture wound through his front right side, then of course was the wound deepest of them all, the wound she herself inflicted on him.
“…”
She felt like her body was going to shake. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cut herself, yet somehow someway, she managed to push aside all those feelings and continue wiping him. However, the desire to heal those wounds through some method other than magic remained. In fact, they continued to swell, and as a result, that happened.
“It’s touching me again, Stella-san.”
Before she knew it, she’d pressed the most assertive part of her against his back. But unlike before, this time it was intentional. In fact, she pushed them against his back as though she wanted him to feel them thoroughly. Thankfully, her breasts were so big that she didn’t have to worry about him feeling her heartbeat.
“!?!?”
Shinichi had frozen, but a strange sense of satisfaction nonetheless filled him. Really, the one most surprised by this situation was Stella herself. After all, this was not part of her duties as a maid. But she was smart, and she had a ton of skills as the head maid to deal with unaccepted situations, which is why she said.
“I thought it’d heal you.”
“Excuse me!?”
“Not just any woman will do, but it seems you’ve always liked maids, so I figured you’d be able to relax if I did this.”
Stella said in that same tone she always used; however, for some reason, she sounded as though she was seriously trying to sell it. She patted herself on the back, thinking that she had successfully fooled him, alas her maid skills could not completely cover up the situation. After all, there was no reason for her to do this so suddenly. Moreover, until now, she would ask for permission first before doing anything, but for the first time, she acted on her own. So there was no way for Shinichi not to realize that this was just a front. Stella had been affected by the wound she’d left on him so badly that she couldn’t even realize that much. However, her actions were not meaningless by anyway. After all, Shinichi was able to relax.
“Well, I am a man, after all. The softness and warmth of a woman is much better than a cold sword.”
“Huh?”
He knew. Moreover, he probably understood her feelings even better than she did. Stella gulped, and Shinichi gently called out to her without turning around.
“So will you touch my wounds whenever they ache, Stella?”
──Whenever you feel hurt, feel free to touch me.
“…”
Ah, so that’s why.
What she really wanted was to feel this man.
To feel that he was still alive.
To feel that he had not left.
And now, he had given her something even greater than what she’d carved onto him.
He was not merely permitting her to touch him. He was yearning for her to touch him.
“I understand, Shin.”
She said those words as though she’d properly received his thoughts. It was a reply full of gratitude and pride, then unconsciously, she found herself using the nickname her princess used. At some point, he’d asked her to call him by his given name, so it wasn’t as though it was completely out of the blue, but it still took him by surprise. But that surprise lasted only for a moment before a gentle smile filled his face. It was such that Stella could tell even from behind. Upon seeing that, Stella’s cheeks finally loosened.
“By the way, how long do you intend to let your assets touch me?”
“How long do you wish to feel them?”
“That’s a difficult question.”
Shinichi started seriously pondering the question, causing Stella to let out a chuckle before eventually whispering by his ear in a very sweet voice.
“Do you not like them?”
“Talking like that is cheating.”
Stella was always the one being teased by him, so being able to feel him tremble and his tension heighten made her feel as though she’d finally gotten back at him. Occasionally, getting back at him like this wasn’t a bad thing. The moment she thought that, her cheeks finally loosened. With Shinichi not answering, Stella just waited like a good maid would. As for how long Shinichi was able to enjoy her bountiful breasts, that was a question that only those in that room would know.
For some reason, however, all the maids from then on also started touching him generously. From where could the information have possibly leaked?
“Kyu kyu kyu, it looks like the both of them forgot that I was sleeping in the corner.”
It was truly a mystery.
Author’s Note:
Hey, hey don’t complain that I didn’t write the main story. I heard it was Maid’s Day today, so it just went ‘Pikin!’ in my head, you know? I just barely made it in time. Of course, when it comes to maids, there could only be one on my end, so I figured I’d write a story about him and her. I was originally planning to post it in the activity report section of my author’s page, but let’s be real, this is perfectly fitting for the main story. It’s prime time, baby! Anyway, please enjoy. Time-wise, this story takes place after the events of 04-56 Ribbon Bond. The 00-510 is a reference to the anniversary.