When Hayashi woke up, he immediately caught a faint fragrance in the air.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted with a sheet of white.
He instantly understood what was going on.
Who uses facial cleanser first thing in the morning?
He reached out and gently pushed the figure in front of him. As expected, Tohru, who had curled up to sleep last night, had shifted into a hugging position as she gradually felt safer.
"Mmm~"
Tohru blinked groggily as she woke up, her tail lazily swaying behind her.
"Good morning, Hayashi-san."
Hayashi stretched. "It's noon, not morning."
"!?"
Tohru froze and turned to look outside. Sure enough, the sun was nearly at its peak.
"I slept that long? But it was so comfortable~"
Tohru stretched like Hayashi did—except with her D+ figure, her pajamas barely held everything in, nearly spilling out.
"…" Out of respect, Hayashi looked away, but he still asked in confusion, "Tohru, I told you last night to only decide after you understood. Are you sure you really get it now?"
"I understand," Tohru nodded seriously.
"What exactly do you understand?"
"That it's okay for a head maid to sleep with Hayashi-san, that it's permitted—so I came over in the middle of the night."
"…???"
What the—?
That's what you took away from it?
Hayashi looked stunned, barely holding back a laugh.
"Wait, are you sure that's what understanding means for you?"
Tohru tilted her head. "Is it not?"
"… I mean, I guess it's fine. As long as you're sure."
"I'm sure."
"Ah… well, then let's leave it at that."
Seeing Tohru's serious and unregretful expression—
Hayashi figured there wasn't much else to say. As long as she made the decision for herself.
She wasn't a child.
Her human form looked about 16 to 18 years old.
But in dragon years? Who knew how long she'd lived?
Though in dragon terms, she was still considered a young girl.
After changing clothes, Hayashi led Tohru—who used magic to instantly change—downstairs.
Tohru looked around the restaurant and recalled the maid responsibilities she'd researched online last night. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Hayashi-san, leave the daily tasks of the restaurant to me!"
"I'll fulfill my maid duties perfectly!"
Hayashi looked at the energetic Tohru and felt genuinely touched.
"Don't overdo it. Just do enough and rest when you need to. The daily tasks are just cleaning and food service."
"Got it!" Tohru nodded eagerly. "Leave it to me!"
Then—
Hayashi started prepping ingredients for the evening menu.
Tohru got to cleaning.
Armed with a towel and mop, she wiped every table and chair spotless, scrubbed the floors until they gleamed, and even double-checked that all pots and dishes in the kitchen were clean.
They divided the work well—Hayashi handled the kitchen; Tohru, the rest.
What used to be time-consuming and exhausting—
The stuff that gave Hayashi a headache—
Suddenly didn't need him at all.
In an instant—
No more leg pain, no more backaches, his energy was through the roof.
He'd been in a great mood since the morning.
Especially seeing how spotless the restaurant looked after Tohru finished—he felt completely refreshed.
"I never imagined a day could be this perfect!" Hayashi sighed.
Tohru stood proudly with her hands on her hips. "How is it, Hayashi-san?"
"Perfect," Hayashi gave a big thumbs-up.
After cleaning up—
He went to the kitchen and made two large glasses of lemon iced tea.
Tohru took a sip and her eyes lit up. She started slurping it down with a satisfied "ku ku!"
"Don't rush, sip slowly," Hayashi smiled, sipping his own. "I made a whole bucket. Help yourself at the counter."
"After we rest, I'll take you to the nearby market. We'll need to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables daily."
Tohru nodded excitedly, clearly thrilled.
Soon after—
She finished her tea with a contented "haah~."
"Want another glass?" Hayashi asked.
Tohru shook her head. "Let's go to the market!"
"Alright." Hayashi grabbed his tea and took Tohru out to the car.
They headed to the corner of the yard.
The small van was parked there, covered in a thin layer of dust.
Tohru looked at it and declared, "The car needs cleaning too!"
Hayashi opened the door. "We'll clean it after we get back."
"Alright."
Tohru, still in her maid outfit, got in.
Hayashi sat in the driver's seat on the right, Tohru in the passenger seat on the left.
Since traffic in Japan drives on the left, the cars were right-hand drive.
Hayashi pulled a key out from his system space, slotted it in, and started the engine.
Tohru's eyes lit up at the sudden appearance of the key.
"Hayashi-san can use magic too!"
"Uh… well," Hayashi thought for a moment and then nodded. "Let's just call it magic."
They hit the road, heading toward the same market as yesterday.
On the way, Tohru admired the scenery and curiously observed Hayashi's driving.
She even picked up the driver's license and asked, "What's this?"
"A license," Hayashi replied. "You need it to drive. Otherwise, everyone would be bumping into each other on the road."
"Ohhh, I see."
Soon after—
They arrived at the market and went on a shopping spree.
When they came out, both were carrying bags of groceries.
As they were loading things into the van—
Tohru raised her hand and said, "Hayashi-san, I want to try driving back!"
Hayashi remembered how she'd been observing his driving earlier. "You already figured it out?"
"I think so."
"Alright, give it a shot." Hayashi tossed her the keys. "Just don't go over 60."
"Roger!"
Hayashi had driven there.
Tohru drove them back.
Watching her operate the vehicle smoothly—
Hayashi saw that she had no problems at all. Totally calm and collected.
She looked only a little nervous—but mostly happy.
"Tohru really is a genius," Hayashi gave her a big thumbs-up.
"Hehe~ You're too kind!" Tohru grinned even wider.
They weren't in a rush.
The little van took a few loops before finally heading back.
Along the way, Hayashi noticed there were noticeably more patrols in District 20.
Officers from the police, CCG, and even the Anti-Devil Division.
Eventually, their van got flagged down by two patrolling agents.
"Excuse me, miss. Please show your license."
Hayashi: …oh no.
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