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Chapter 51 Part 1

Before We Part (1) ~Come to see you, I need you!~

Sunday morning, a little past 10:00 a.m.

Yuu, accompanied by his security personnel Kanako and Touko, was visiting the Saiou branch of the temporary employment placement center Saijinsha, which was located in front of the Saiou Station.

Saijinsha was a company that managed comprehensive temporary employment placements in Saitama Prefecture, and Akiko, their former housekeeper, was also dispatched from there.

Yuu thought it was a housekeeper center like the one in his former world and expected a homey place full of aunties, but when he actually went there, it turned out to be a temporary placement agency with a clean-looking office in a large building.

From the fact that it dispatched a diverse workforce that included not only housekeepers but also office workers, field workers, and various event staff, it had been confirmed that the company was also open on Sundays.

Maybe it was unusual for a man to visit the company, the young lady at the reception desk was flustered, and seeing that, Yuu thought it was rude of her, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but smile wryly.

When Yuu was led into the reception room and sat on the sofa, Kanako and Touko stood behind him like bodyguards, which seemed to make the other party shrink back in fear, which in turn made him feel uncomfortable, as it felt as if he was someone of high standing.

Sitting in front of him was a woman in her fifties holding the title of section chief of the housework and childcare section of the male family dispatch department.

She was dressed in a tight-fitting black suit that didn’t really suit her well-built figure, and she was constantly wiping the sweat off her face with a handkerchief, perhaps because she was hot or perhaps because she was nervous.

Yuu thought that she would look better in a kappogi (Japanese coverall apron) than in a suit.

「Yes, err, the personnel we dispatched to Hirose-sama’s house as a housekeeper, Kawamata, am I right? Indeed, when your mother visited the night before last, she proposed to terminate the contract. Given that six months have passed and the circumstances are as they are, the paperwork in relation to the termination of the contract has been completed without any particular problem.」

After checking the file containing the documents, the section chief raised her face and looked at Yuu.

「S, so… To what do I owe the pleasure today…? Err, umm… If it is to make a further claim, please let me call the branch manager as well and….」

Given that Yuu had taken the trouble to make a visit himself, she seemed to think that it was a serious matter.

「No, that’s not it. The purpose of my visit today is…」

Yuu spent a lot of time weaving words to correct the other party’s misunderstanding.

About the fact that, to begin with, his mother had ended up taking seriously the outburst of self-serving assumptions made by his elder sister, who had caught sight of the scene of him and Akiko being intimate with each other.

The fact that he was grateful to Akiko, who had always handled all household chores excellently, including letting him eat delicious food all the time.

As well as the fact that although he had heard that the contract was for one year until the end of June, he personally even wanted to have it extended, but was surprised when he heard that the contract was suddenly terminated yesterday, and decided to visit them to see if there was anything he could do about it.

Hearing this, the tension disappeared from the section chief’s face, and after showing a puzzled look on her face, she seemed to finally regain some leeway to put up a smile.

「Dear me~, I see! So that is how it is. There has never been any man who would take the trouble to make a visit in order to offer his gratitude, you see. So I thought for sure you have come to make a claim. Dear me, I am so embarrassed to blow my cool. Yes, you are right. Kawamata is, well… Apart from her poor sociability, she is an excellent housekeeper, enough to be rated as top-class among our housekeepers. Thus far, she has never caused any particular men-related troubles either, so I was wondering if by some chance that was the case….」

True enough, not only was his first impression of her was that she was unsociable, Yuu was perplexed by her who always sported a noh mask look on her face.

However, he knew that once you got to know her, she had a cute side as well.

「So, is it possible? Re-signing her, I mean. Ah, this is my personal wish, but I’ll make sure to mention it to my mother next time, so….」

「Huh… Ah, re-signing, is it? Hmm….」

Perhaps finding Yuu’s proposal surprising, the section chief was at a loss for words and ended up falling silent.

They were talking about a housekeeper as excellent as Akiko.

Given that not only was the contract canceled the day before yesterday, it originally lasted until the end of June, so he was sure that he could still make it.

However, what made Yuu apprehensive was the possibility that perhaps she already had a prior engagement and her next dispatch destination had already been decided.

「About that, you see… Actually, some time ago, she told me that her mother in her hometown was sick and she was worried about her. She was wondering whether she would return to her hometown after her contract was up at the end of June. Bot now that it has been moved up by about a month, she said she would make arrangements for her daughter’s school transfer and return home as soon as possible.」

「W, what?!」

「We also find it regrettable to part with a talent of her caliber. Umm, her hometown is in Tohoku, and since we don’t have a branch office there, we can’t transfer her to another branch either. It may be sudden, but her assignment with our company will end this month….」

Yuu immediately decided to visit Akiko right after.

Fortunately, the company gave him the address.

His original era aside, Yuu was glad that this was not an era where personal information was strictly regulated.

As a matter of fact, it was because of the unique circumstances of this world where women were imposed with extremely strict qualifications to know men’s personal information, but were extremely lax on the opposite case.

The apartment complex Akiko lived in seemed to be located in a peaceful suburb, about 15 minutes by car from the front of Saiou Station, which had seen remarkable development in recent years.

When he asked the company to contact her, given that today was Sunday, Yuu was relieved to hear that she appeared to be at home.

As if it was only natural, Yuu asked his security personnel to drive him there.

「It is not advisable for you to visit a woman’s residence alone, Yuu-sama. As expected, we ought to accompany you there.」

It was when they were getting close to the apartment building.

When Kanako heard that Yuu would go alone, she showed a bitter look on her face.

As far as Yuu was concerned, he wanted to have an intimate conversation with Akiko as they did at home. If Kanako and Touko were there, Akiko would surely feel intimidated.

「But she is not a stranger, she is Akiko-san who worked as our housekeeper until just the other day, you know? There’s no way a mistake would happen.」

「Hmm….」

「I’m worried that you might do something reckless, Yuu-sama.」

「Ugh.」

Touko was usually quiet and unsociable, but her powers of observation were no joke.

He had been keeping quiet about it to them, but he certainly got dragged into a turmoil all by himself after dressing up as a woman after school just the other day, so he couldn’t help but shut his mouth for a moment.

Instead of moving his mouth, Yuu moved his hands.

He took the hands of Kanako and Touko, who were sitting in the back seat of the car, flanking him from either side.

「「…!」」

「It’s only recently that I can finally talk with Akiko-san normally, but because my elder sister and mother misunderstanding us, this might be the last time we can see each other, you see. I want to thank her for everything she’s done for me up until now and talk about all kinds of things with her. So, please.」

Saying that, Yuu held their hands tightly.

「Hmm… Mm…」

「Hnn….」

「Can’t I?」

If he were an old man like how he was on the inside, it would have been creepy, but the way Yuu, a pretty boy of this world, acted all spoiled boasted an unrivaled destructive power.

「Ki, ki, ki…」

「Ki?」

When Yuu consciously tilted his head to look into Kanako’s face, even she seemed to be turning bright red in the face.

「Neki!」

Kanako, rebooted after having her code name called by Touko, began to speak quickly.

「Ha! Err, let’s see. Fundamentally, we ought to respect the will of the man we are protecting. As long as it is not too reckless, that is it.」

「And in this case?」

Touko took over.

「This time, you are visiting the house of a housekeeper who not only is an acquaintance  but also has the qualifications to be dispatched to a household with men, so we judge that the risk is low. Therefore, the visit itself is possible.

「I see!」

「However, please keep in mind that we, as your security personnel, have expressed at least some concern about the risk.」

「Got it. Thank you for worrying about me.」

Yuu rested his head on the shoulder of Kanako, who was sitting right next to him.

「Hweh?!」

The way Yuu acted like a little brother acting all spoiled to his elder sister must have come as a shock to Kanako.

She let out a voice unbecoming of a woman and ended up freezing in place.

As Touko looked at her enviously, Yuu decided to let go of her hand and pat her on the head.

Getting stroked, Touko was very delighted.

Witnessing the scene through the rear-view mirror, the security personnel serving as the driver was surprised and at the same time filled with envy.

Even so, looking at the fact that there were disturbances to the driving, all could be said was as expected of a pro.

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