"Huh... Toujou-san?"
Haruto's shock was so great that he couldn't help but blurt those words out. Hearing this, Toujou also looked at him with a start, clearly taken aback. For a moment, she stared at Haruto with a puzzled look before finally speaking, as if to confirm, "Could it be... Ootsuki-kun… from the same class?"
"Err... yeah."
"Huh? …Why?"
As she voiced her doubts, she gave Haruto a cautious look. Probably suspecting that he was getting into housekeeping services to get closer to her. If it were any other girl, Haruto might have thought, "Why is this girl so full of herself?" However, the girl in front of him was none other than the school idol. Considering that she had been called out for a confession over the school's PA system, it might be natural for her to be a bit cautious.
"Ahh... if I'm not suitable, you can change housekeepers, you know."
Sensing her caution, Haruto suggested as such.
"If you decide to change, it might take a bit more time, and the service might be a bit shorter than initially requested."
Toujou's request was for a three-hour service, involving tidying up the living room and such, as well as cleaning and preparing dinner.
"I definitely thought a woman would come..."
"Ahaha, I'm sorry..."
Haruto offered a wry smile, apologizing lightly for her murmured comment. The housekeeping service he belonged to indeed had a significant majority of women. However, though a minority, there were some men too.
On the service's website that Haruto was a part of, there was a list of members complete with photos, and clients could specify preferences such as wanting a female housekeeper. But it seemed that Toujou had missed those details.
"So, would you like to change to a female one?"
Haruto asked again. Toujou hesitated a bit, lowering her head, then shook her head slightly.
"No, it's okay. Please go ahead with the housekeeping service."
"Huh? Are you… sure about not changing?"
Haruto had expected her to agree, so her unexpected response left him a bit bewildered.
"Ootsuki-kun... you're not... aiming for me, right?"
"Nope, of course not."
"In that case, it's fine. Come in."
Toujou said this and slightly opened the front door to make it easier for Haruto to enter.
"Um, then, I look forward to working with you."
With a slight bow, Haruto entered the Toujou residence. Once he stepped in, he saw the slippers that Toujou had prepared for him.
"Thank you very much. Pardon my intrusion."
Lightly bowing again, Haruto put on the slippers.
"The living room is this way. Follow me."
Toujou led the way down the hallway, giving Haruto an opportunity to appreciate the spaciousness.
The hallway's so long! It's wide too! It is a luxurious mansion alright.
While thinking these thoughts, he reached the end of the hallway. Toujou opened a door and went inside.
"This is the living room. I want you to clean this area and also the dining room behind it."
"Oooh..."
Haruto, standing there, was left dumbfounded by the interior of the mansion he was seeing for the first time.
The space was at least twice as big as his own living room, maybe even three times. High-end furnitures were tastefully arranged, and a large TV was hung on the wall. Beyond that, a kitchen island was installed with state-of-the-art cooking appliances displayed on the shelves.
"This is amazing..."
Seeing such a stylish and luxurious living-dining area, he realized he had only seen something like this on reality TV shows.
"...Ootsuki-kun?"
Seeing Haruto still standing there looking puzzled, Toujou asked with a curious gaze.
Quickly regaining his composure, Haruto explained and confirmed the service request with her.
"I appreciate your usage of our housekeeping service. Once again, I'm the one who will be in charge this time, Ootsuki. I look forward to working with you."
Following the manual's script, Haruto offered a bow and handed her his business card.
"Woah, you even have a business card?"
Taking the card from Haruto, Toujou examined it with interest.
"The request I have received from Toujou-sama this time is set for a three-hour service, is this correct?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. That's right. Or rather, even though we're classmates, addressing me with '-sama' is kind of..."
"Even if we're classmates, right now, Toujou-sama is my client."
Haruto replied firmly. Before being classmates or the school idol, she was still a client.
Haruto's work was to provide services to this client in exchange for payment, so he needed to maintain that distinction. Besides, this approach might be more reassuring for Toujou than worrying about him getting close to her using this opportunity, especially since she had been harassed by the boys at school countless times before.
In a strict professional tone, Haruto continued, "Shall I begin the housekeeping service now? Do you have any preferences or specific requests?"
"Um... well, not really."
"Understood. Then, I'd like to start with cleaning. I'll be using the cleaning equipment you have at your house, so I hope that's okay."
"Sure, go ahead. The vacuum cleaner is in the storage cabinet over there."
Toujou pointed to a tall, narrow door next to the entrance to the living room. It seemed like this mansion even had plenty of storage spaces.
"Well then, if you need anything, please knock on my door. My room is upstairs, the door on the left side of the hallway."
Leaving those words behind, Toujou left the living room.
Once she disappeared from the living room, the sound of her footsteps climbing the stairs echoed down the hallway. In that moment, Haruto felt as if he had emerged from underwater as he released a breath.
"Whew! That was nerve-wracking!"
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
Why would Toujou-san use a housekeeping service? Or rather, she's really rich, huh? Also, I've never seen Toujou-san up close before... She's actually really cute.
Now that he was out of his tense state, Haruto's mind was flooded with question after question.
Until now, Haruto hadn't really shown interest in Toujou Ayaka. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in girls. He was a very healthy high school boy to the point where he unconsciously slows down the flipping of pages whenever he sees models in gravure magazines.
So why hadn't he shown any interest in the school idol until now? Part of the reason might be that Haruto had a more philosophical perspective than other male students.
However, the biggest reason was likely the dream he desperately wanted to achieve. For that, he couldn't afford to waste time getting overly involved with an unattainable beauty.
"I never imagined Toujou-san would be such a high-class lady..."
Murmuring to himself, Haruto glanced around the living room he was about to clean.
At first glance, the place didn't seem overly dirty. There was a bit of dust and some hairs on the floor and carpet, and a light layer of dust had accumulated on the shelves. Still, a quick vacuum and dusting should make everything spotless.
"Unexpectedly meeting Toujou-san got me flustered, but she's an important first client. I need to give it my all."
Rolling up his sleeves, Haruto psyched himself up. He looked at the wall clock, and it was exactly 3 PM. He had three hours to complete the cleaning and dinner preparation.
"Still, Toujou-san looked really amazing in casual clothes..."
When looking at the poses in gravure magazines where the chest is emphasized, Haruto, a healthy high school boy who was cautious of others' gazes, would still find himself staring. For him, Toujou's attire earlier held a certain appeal. The combination of a sweatshirt and a thin T-shirt struck a chord with him.
"Toujou-san does have quite a big chest..."
Since he usually only saw her from a distance in her uniform, he hadn't really noticed such details. Now, her image was firmly etched in Haruto's mind.
"Get a grip! She's an important client! Focus on your work, me!"
Haruto quite literally shook his head, trying to banish such thoughts.
While battling his desires, he applied the cleaning skills his grandmother had taught him, and with this focus, he proceeded in cleaning the living room and the dining area's wet area according to Toujou's request. About an hour had passed since he began cleaning, and as the wall clock struck 4 o'clock, thanks to his thorough concentration in an effort to dispel any distractions, Haruto had managed to turn the living room into an immaculate space, and the sink in the dining area appeared to be gleaming as if it were radiating light.
"Phew, I did it!"
With a sense of achievement on his face, Haruto looked around the now pristine space.
Just then, he heard the sound of the front door opening with a click from the direction of the entrance. Almost simultaneously, a cheerful boy's voice rang out.
"I'm home~~!"
Following this greeting, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Before Haruto could react or think, the living room door was flung open with force. A boy about the age of a kindergarten entered the room.
This boy froze upon seeing Haruto standing in the dining area.
"…"
"…"
The two stared at each other in silence.
After a few moments of this tense silence, Haruto opened his mouth to explain that he wasn't a suspicious person or anything of the sort.
"Um, I'm here for hous—"
"Onee-chaaaan! There's a thief inside the houseeeeee!"
Haruto's words were drowned out by the boy's piercing scream.
