Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 23, 2016
11:12 am
"Nice work."
Mamoru put down the hammer he was holding and looked at the gutters he had just installed on the new prefab carport. "Thanks. It's too bad I have to keep my car in here over the winter."
"Trust me, you really don't want to drive a convertible in the winter in Ottawa."
"Oh, I agree; I don't want frostbite on my face, either. It's just that I just got my car back..."
"And Mii-san just got her bike back, too. At least you can drive my car when I'm not using it."
"You drive an automatic with left-hand drive. Why did we install a bucket at the end of the downspout? We have city water."
"The city water's fluoridated. Rain water and snow meltwater is better for the plants out in front of the building."
"We don't have any plants out in front of the building."
Rob smiled. "Not yet, but I'm sure Mako-chan will want to plant some flowers come spring time. Now, let's rig an overhang to cover my car over the winter, and then we can get an electrician in to install some more floodlights to keep unwanted visitors away from our cars."
1:01 pm
Rob had wondered whether he could put Mamoru on the building's payroll. He could use the money, and Rob could use help with the maintenance work. He figured calling the higher-ups was worth a shot.
"Look, you've got me acting as a corporate official and a building manager. ... Yes, I know you hired me because I had experience in both fields. ... You're damned right that it's a Hell of a job. I need some help with it. I need either an administrative assistant, a housekeeper, or a handyman. ... Or I'll hire one on my own and pay him out of the corporate funds. ... Yes, I can do that. Section 19, paragraph 3. ... Fine. Email me the list."
After he hung up, Rob thought, 'Of course Sebastian has a list of housekeeper candidates. So much for getting Lord Phantomhive to slip Mamoru some money as a live-in handyman; he'll have to find work elsewhere. Or I can pay him out of my own pocket, if he'll let me.'
1:33 pm
Rob thought that he should have asked for an administrative assistant and a housekeeper. None of the people on the list were going to be able to help with the paperwork. He realized that he'd made a Hell of a choice in who to ask for.
There were three names on the list that Sebastian had forwarded to Rob. He recognized all three.
As much as he thought Taeko Minazuki might be a good choice, he realized that if Taeko moved to Ottawa, the rest of the major characters from Ai Yori Aoshi would follow sooner or later. Where would he put them? Better to let her and them go elsewhere, maybe San Antonio or Venice. They'd probably like Venice. Besides, it was Taeko - the one character from that story that Rob could see himself falling in love with ... and he already had two smart and lovely ladies filling that role in his life.
And it would be an even worse idea to hire Mahoro Ando - at least, not until Washuu-chan could extend her lifespan and she could engage in combat without worrying whether it would kill her. The building was still being attacked by the Host on an irregular basis; they didn't need Management to attack them as well. And where would he put Suguru and his classmates?
And when did he start thinking of the household as a paramilitary force? That was the opposite of what he had wanted a month ago.
The third name ... Yeah. It's a Hell of a choice that Sebastian was giving him. Then Rob realized he might be able to use that choice to his own advantage.
5:14 pm
"Mr. Donaldson, could I see you for a moment, please?"
"Of course, Ms. Konori." Rob walked into Mii's apartment, and she closed the door behind him ... then stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
Once his tongue was available again, Rob asked, "What's that for? Not that I'm complaining."
"That's for setting up a place for me to keep my bike over the winter. Thank you."
"Mamoru helped."
"I'm not giving him a kiss. You might get jealous. Usagi almost definitely would."
"I choose to remain silent on that matter. Now," Rob drew Mii into a hug, "is there anything else, Ms. Konori?"
"I could use your help with these..." Mii reached for her blouse's buttons and smiled.
Rob sighed. "Not yet."
She mock-pouted, then grinned and took a step back, out of his embrace. "Then I suppose that's all."
"I'll be on my way, then." Rob turned and opened the door, to discover Ruiko and Makoto waiting in the hallway, grinning. "What, are we that obvious?"
"I don't think Kazari, Mikoto, Mimi, Chibi-Usa, Diana, or either of the Reis have noticed yet," Ruiko replied.
"Actually, I had noticed, Misaka Rei interjects from down the hallway. It's Misaka Kokono who hasn't noticed, Misaka Rei adds."
Rob looked over his shoulder at Mii. "Should we tell everyone?"
Mii shrugged her shoulders. "The two of us can't make that decision."
6:51 pm
As everyone was about to leave the dinner table, Ami said, "We have an announcement."
Two minutes later, Usagi and Kazari had Ami and Mii in a group hug; Kuroko was rolling her eyes at Mikoto's puzzled expression; Mimi, Diana, and Chibi-Usa were grinning; Ruiko and Minako were talking about bridesmaid's dresses; Luna and the Misaka sisters were wondering which universe the happy trio would be calling home once the time came to leave; Makoto was thinking about wedding cake recipes with a dreamy look on her face; Mamoru and Artemis (in human form) were smiling as they cleared the dishes from the table; Accelerator wasn't interested at all... and Rei Hino was scowling.
The first chance she had, Rei grabbed Rob's arm and walked him out to the corridor. "Why?"
"What?"
"Not what, why? Why do you get to be open about your love now and I have to wait?"
"You have to... Is that what Ben told you during the Halloween party?"
"Yes!" she hissed.
"You're sure? That doesn't sound like Ben to me at all."
"I'm sure... No, I'm not sure." The fire in Rei's eyes dimmed, but didn't completely disappear. "He told me about love, and appearances, and ..." She trailed off; the rest of what Ben had told her was none of Rob's business.
"Appearances. Of course. He's protecting you, and it sounds like he did a good job. Have you talked with whoever it is you love about this?" She shook her head. "Then you need to talk with them before any of you make any decisions. One thing that I'll tell you, and I'm sure it's the same thing that Ami and Mii are telling everyone else right now: We don't want word of this to leave the building yet. Polyamoury is still rare enough that it would put both of my loves' careers at risk if anyone found out before they have professional reputations of their own, although I'm sure they aren't mentioning that to anyone in our common room."
"But... that's... Why should anyone else care what your personal life is like? You're not..." She trailed off again.
"Don't ask me. Other people's love lives don't affect me, and ours doesn't affect anyone else, and the three of us are facing our futures together with love and mutual respect and clear and informed consent from all three of us. That should be enough. But it isn't, not according to the law."
"The law is... the law is..." Rei fumed while trying to figure out how to finish her sentence.
Rob finished it for her. "The law is an ass." At her shocked look at his vulgarity, he continued, "George Chapman, 'Revenge for Honour', 1654. If you want to change the law, you could run for office once you're 18."
"No, thank you," she replied coldly.
"Or you could help Usagi run for office, and advise her once she's elected."
"Isn't she going to become Neo-Queen Serenity anyway?"
"If I recall the canon backstory correctly, she'll be elected to the position after she saves the world from a disaster of some sort. She could use the experience of running for office in a few years, and I can't think of anyone better suited to help her than you. Oh! Is she...?"
"Yes."
"Then I'd best let you go talk with her. And I think that I have to make it clear to a few people that Ami and Mii and I aren't getting married just yet, nor are the three of us about to share an apartment."
"You're not going to live together? Why not?"
"We're not going to live together yet. Because the law is an ass. Legally, I shouldn't even be interested in them until they're 18. And legally, I'm still Mii and Ami's foster father."
"We have to do something about that."
"There are plans ready to go as soon as it becomes possible for us to be open about our relationship. Until then, we continue the way we are."
Rei sighed. "I never would have guessed you were the type to only pay lip service to laws that you didn't like."
"We're already ignoring some laws. Those automatic rifles that the Misaka sisters own are illegal in this country, but I'm not going to tell the girls to surrender them. But before you start comparing me to some Diet members that I suspect you've been introduced to back in your home universe, I'll point out that I'm ignoring laws that are detrimental to other people, not to myself."
Rei frowned. "Can I tell you about something called the slippery slope?"
"Can you trust that I have three times as much life experience as you, and know all about the slippery slope? I'm not happy about being a lawbreaker, but I'm not about to risk your lives or Ami's and Mii's happiness. And I'd appreciate it if you keep telling me when you think I'm making a bad moral or ethical call."
"Why me?" she asked, surprised.
"Because I trust you to not want to spare my feelings when you call me out."
Rob's phone pinged, then pinged twice again in rapid succession. Even before looking, he knew what the texts would say. As he reached for his phone, he wondered who didn't keep the secret. "Excuse me."
"Congratulations! -Tenchi"
"You'd better treat them well, or you'll feel my hammer! Be happy. -Skuld"
"What took you so long? -Washuu"
He showed the phone to Rei. "So much for keeping things secret."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 24, 2016
4:42 pm
"Now that I have you alone: How long have you been dating Konori-sempai, Donaldson-san?"
"About a month now, Kuroko. She told me her feelings the night that she was attacked by the Host."
Kuroko relaxed slightly. "That was a hectic time for everyone. No doubt you simply forgot to tell us at the time, being more concerned with whether Mii-sempai would survive." Rob knew better than to disagree; he simply nodded. "As for the matter of hiring someone to help here, I don't understand why you want me involved in the process, Rob-san."
"Because Mikoto's busy. If this is who I think it is, you'll understand as soon as she walks through the door."
The office door opened, and a Japanese girl who looked to be about Usagi's age walked in. She was wearing a blue dress with an apron and a maid's cap, and her short hair was pulled back from her face. "Hello, the Funtom Placement Agency sent me about the maid position that you contacted them ab... Shirai!?"
"Maika?"
"You're hired." Both girls looked at Rob; he turned to Kuroko. "Is there some reason why I shouldn't hire Miss Tsuchimikado?"
"Her brother ..." Kuroko started, then stopped.
"Yes, we know her brother is a spy for Necessarius." Maika gasped in surprise. Rob ignored her. "I'd rather Necessarius has somebody inside sending reports back than have them attack us because they don't know what's going on here, which means they need an information conduit out of our building." Rob turned to Maika and smiled. "Also, I've been assured that you actually are a competent maid."
"I'm a maid in training, actually," she replied somewhat unsteadily.
"Good enough for this building. Your room is downstairs - immediately beside Accelerator's."
"Eek!"
Rob's smile became a grin. "Still want the job?"
"I don't have much choice, do I, mister ...?"
"Rob Donaldson. And we're not asking you to become a double agent. As I already said, I'd rather that Necessarius knows what's going on here than have them guess incorrectly."
Maika thought for a brief moment. "That makes sense. What do you get out of this, besides your housekeeping done?"
"Well, as long as you're asking, are you able to contact Necessarius now? On second thought, don't answer that. When you are able to contact Necessarius, I want you to ask them to help us find two people that I expect they want to find anyway."
"Who would these people be?"
"Index Librorum Prohibitorum and Kamijo Touma."
"Oh." Kuroko groused. "Him."
Rob turned to Kuroko. "You know how she feels about him, even if she isn't willing to admit it to herself."
"Does he return her feelings?"
"Does she return yours?"
"I ..." Kuroko wouldn't continue.
"Then it doesn't matter." Rob turned back to Maika. "I apologize for the digression, Miss Tsuchimikado. If you accept the position here, your duties will involve house cleaning, laundry, memorizing the Wikipedia pages about Academy City and Necessarius - Kuroko will give you the URLs - and whatever Necessarius wants you to do that doesn't put anyone here at risk. Remuneration, at least from us, will begin at $600 per week plus room and board. We will review the contract after three months to determine whether this will become a permanent position."
She thought for a long moment. "I accept."
Rob extended his hand. "Thank you, Maika." They shook on the deal. "And if your brother shows up... well, try not to disturb Accelerator."
5:16 pm
"I thought that I was the main chef here. Why hire a maid?"
Rob chose his words carefully. "She isn't here to do the cooking, Mako-chan. She's here primarily to do the laundry and general housekeeping. If you or whoever is on cooking duty needs help in the kitchen, you'll need to ask Maika whether she wants to help. Besides, I thought you wanted to be a pastry chef, not a restaurant chef."
Makoto calmed down. "I still haven't made up my mind whether I want to be a pastry chef or a flower shop owner, but I'm leaning toward being a chef." She thought for a moment. "All right, as long as I get to say who does or doesn't touch my kitchen gear, I don't have a problem with her being here."
"I won't hold you to that, Makoto."
She was suspicious again. "Why not?"
"Because she's also a spy for a group that has an uncomfortable relationship with Academy City."
"When did you know that?"
"Since before you showed up in this universe."
"And you hired her anyway?"
"Of course. This way, we have some control over what Necessarius learns about us - Necessarius is the group she works for - and we get our cleaning done, too."
Makoto's eyes narrowed. "That's awfully manipulative of you."
"She wants to be a maid. As for manipulative, espionage and counter-espionage is rarely free of manipulation. If Usagi is going to become Neo-Queen Serenity and you're going to become one of her advisors, you'll need to come to terms with that."
"Maybe. I still don't like it."
"Besides, this is nothing compared to how government intelligence agencies act, if the declassified reports are anything to go by. She knows that we know who she works for, we know that she knows, and we let her in anyway. If she's at all intelligent, she'll be expecting us to give her a mix of truth and misinformation to send back to her superiors."
"That's true," Maiko replied from just inside the kitchen doorway, the door closing behind her. "Who else is going to know who I really am?"
"Everyone who's read the Wikipedia articles that I said you have to memorize. What can we do for you, Ms. Tsuchimikado?"
"Please just call me Maika while I'm working. I'm here to familiarize myself with the kitchen, so that I can keep it clean. I was told Kino-dono was here?"
"I'm Makoto. I'll show you my kitchen now, so please pay attention to what I say I don't want you to touch. ..."
As Makoto started the tour, Rob quickly got out of the girls' way. He still had to tell Mikoto and Usagi about Maiko, and that conversation was going to take some finesse.
And since when was the common room's kitchen Makoto's property?
To be continued...? Or not...?
November 23, 2016
11:12 am
"Nice work."
Mamoru put down the hammer he was holding and looked at the gutters he had just installed on the new prefab carport. "Thanks. It's too bad I have to keep my car in here over the winter."
"Trust me, you really don't want to drive a convertible in the winter in Ottawa."
"Oh, I agree; I don't want frostbite on my face, either. It's just that I just got my car back..."
"And Mii-san just got her bike back, too. At least you can drive my car when I'm not using it."
"You drive an automatic with left-hand drive. Why did we install a bucket at the end of the downspout? We have city water."
"The city water's fluoridated. Rain water and snow meltwater is better for the plants out in front of the building."
"We don't have any plants out in front of the building."
Rob smiled. "Not yet, but I'm sure Mako-chan will want to plant some flowers come spring time. Now, let's rig an overhang to cover my car over the winter, and then we can get an electrician in to install some more floodlights to keep unwanted visitors away from our cars."
1:01 pm
Rob had wondered whether he could put Mamoru on the building's payroll. He could use the money, and Rob could use help with the maintenance work. He figured calling the higher-ups was worth a shot.
"Look, you've got me acting as a corporate official and a building manager. ... Yes, I know you hired me because I had experience in both fields. ... You're damned right that it's a Hell of a job. I need some help with it. I need either an administrative assistant, a housekeeper, or a handyman. ... Or I'll hire one on my own and pay him out of the corporate funds. ... Yes, I can do that. Section 19, paragraph 3. ... Fine. Email me the list."
After he hung up, Rob thought, 'Of course Sebastian has a list of housekeeper candidates. So much for getting Lord Phantomhive to slip Mamoru some money as a live-in handyman; he'll have to find work elsewhere. Or I can pay him out of my own pocket, if he'll let me.'
1:33 pm
Rob thought that he should have asked for an administrative assistant and a housekeeper. None of the people on the list were going to be able to help with the paperwork. He realized that he'd made a Hell of a choice in who to ask for.
There were three names on the list that Sebastian had forwarded to Rob. He recognized all three.
As much as he thought Taeko Minazuki might be a good choice, he realized that if Taeko moved to Ottawa, the rest of the major characters from Ai Yori Aoshi would follow sooner or later. Where would he put them? Better to let her and them go elsewhere, maybe San Antonio or Venice. They'd probably like Venice. Besides, it was Taeko - the one character from that story that Rob could see himself falling in love with ... and he already had two smart and lovely ladies filling that role in his life.
And it would be an even worse idea to hire Mahoro Ando - at least, not until Washuu-chan could extend her lifespan and she could engage in combat without worrying whether it would kill her. The building was still being attacked by the Host on an irregular basis; they didn't need Management to attack them as well. And where would he put Suguru and his classmates?
And when did he start thinking of the household as a paramilitary force? That was the opposite of what he had wanted a month ago.
The third name ... Yeah. It's a Hell of a choice that Sebastian was giving him. Then Rob realized he might be able to use that choice to his own advantage.
5:14 pm
"Mr. Donaldson, could I see you for a moment, please?"
"Of course, Ms. Konori." Rob walked into Mii's apartment, and she closed the door behind him ... then stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
Once his tongue was available again, Rob asked, "What's that for? Not that I'm complaining."
"That's for setting up a place for me to keep my bike over the winter. Thank you."
"Mamoru helped."
"I'm not giving him a kiss. You might get jealous. Usagi almost definitely would."
"I choose to remain silent on that matter. Now," Rob drew Mii into a hug, "is there anything else, Ms. Konori?"
"I could use your help with these..." Mii reached for her blouse's buttons and smiled.
Rob sighed. "Not yet."
She mock-pouted, then grinned and took a step back, out of his embrace. "Then I suppose that's all."
"I'll be on my way, then." Rob turned and opened the door, to discover Ruiko and Makoto waiting in the hallway, grinning. "What, are we that obvious?"
"I don't think Kazari, Mikoto, Mimi, Chibi-Usa, Diana, or either of the Reis have noticed yet," Ruiko replied.
"Actually, I had noticed, Misaka Rei interjects from down the hallway. It's Misaka Kokono who hasn't noticed, Misaka Rei adds."
Rob looked over his shoulder at Mii. "Should we tell everyone?"
Mii shrugged her shoulders. "The two of us can't make that decision."
6:51 pm
As everyone was about to leave the dinner table, Ami said, "We have an announcement."
Two minutes later, Usagi and Kazari had Ami and Mii in a group hug; Kuroko was rolling her eyes at Mikoto's puzzled expression; Mimi, Diana, and Chibi-Usa were grinning; Ruiko and Minako were talking about bridesmaid's dresses; Luna and the Misaka sisters were wondering which universe the happy trio would be calling home once the time came to leave; Makoto was thinking about wedding cake recipes with a dreamy look on her face; Mamoru and Artemis (in human form) were smiling as they cleared the dishes from the table; Accelerator wasn't interested at all... and Rei Hino was scowling.
The first chance she had, Rei grabbed Rob's arm and walked him out to the corridor. "Why?"
"What?"
"Not what, why? Why do you get to be open about your love now and I have to wait?"
"You have to... Is that what Ben told you during the Halloween party?"
"Yes!" she hissed.
"You're sure? That doesn't sound like Ben to me at all."
"I'm sure... No, I'm not sure." The fire in Rei's eyes dimmed, but didn't completely disappear. "He told me about love, and appearances, and ..." She trailed off; the rest of what Ben had told her was none of Rob's business.
"Appearances. Of course. He's protecting you, and it sounds like he did a good job. Have you talked with whoever it is you love about this?" She shook her head. "Then you need to talk with them before any of you make any decisions. One thing that I'll tell you, and I'm sure it's the same thing that Ami and Mii are telling everyone else right now: We don't want word of this to leave the building yet. Polyamoury is still rare enough that it would put both of my loves' careers at risk if anyone found out before they have professional reputations of their own, although I'm sure they aren't mentioning that to anyone in our common room."
"But... that's... Why should anyone else care what your personal life is like? You're not..." She trailed off again.
"Don't ask me. Other people's love lives don't affect me, and ours doesn't affect anyone else, and the three of us are facing our futures together with love and mutual respect and clear and informed consent from all three of us. That should be enough. But it isn't, not according to the law."
"The law is... the law is..." Rei fumed while trying to figure out how to finish her sentence.
Rob finished it for her. "The law is an ass." At her shocked look at his vulgarity, he continued, "George Chapman, 'Revenge for Honour', 1654. If you want to change the law, you could run for office once you're 18."
"No, thank you," she replied coldly.
"Or you could help Usagi run for office, and advise her once she's elected."
"Isn't she going to become Neo-Queen Serenity anyway?"
"If I recall the canon backstory correctly, she'll be elected to the position after she saves the world from a disaster of some sort. She could use the experience of running for office in a few years, and I can't think of anyone better suited to help her than you. Oh! Is she...?"
"Yes."
"Then I'd best let you go talk with her. And I think that I have to make it clear to a few people that Ami and Mii and I aren't getting married just yet, nor are the three of us about to share an apartment."
"You're not going to live together? Why not?"
"We're not going to live together yet. Because the law is an ass. Legally, I shouldn't even be interested in them until they're 18. And legally, I'm still Mii and Ami's foster father."
"We have to do something about that."
"There are plans ready to go as soon as it becomes possible for us to be open about our relationship. Until then, we continue the way we are."
Rei sighed. "I never would have guessed you were the type to only pay lip service to laws that you didn't like."
"We're already ignoring some laws. Those automatic rifles that the Misaka sisters own are illegal in this country, but I'm not going to tell the girls to surrender them. But before you start comparing me to some Diet members that I suspect you've been introduced to back in your home universe, I'll point out that I'm ignoring laws that are detrimental to other people, not to myself."
Rei frowned. "Can I tell you about something called the slippery slope?"
"Can you trust that I have three times as much life experience as you, and know all about the slippery slope? I'm not happy about being a lawbreaker, but I'm not about to risk your lives or Ami's and Mii's happiness. And I'd appreciate it if you keep telling me when you think I'm making a bad moral or ethical call."
"Why me?" she asked, surprised.
"Because I trust you to not want to spare my feelings when you call me out."
Rob's phone pinged, then pinged twice again in rapid succession. Even before looking, he knew what the texts would say. As he reached for his phone, he wondered who didn't keep the secret. "Excuse me."
"Congratulations! -Tenchi"
"You'd better treat them well, or you'll feel my hammer! Be happy. -Skuld"
"What took you so long? -Washuu"
He showed the phone to Rei. "So much for keeping things secret."
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
November 24, 2016
4:42 pm
"Now that I have you alone: How long have you been dating Konori-sempai, Donaldson-san?"
"About a month now, Kuroko. She told me her feelings the night that she was attacked by the Host."
Kuroko relaxed slightly. "That was a hectic time for everyone. No doubt you simply forgot to tell us at the time, being more concerned with whether Mii-sempai would survive." Rob knew better than to disagree; he simply nodded. "As for the matter of hiring someone to help here, I don't understand why you want me involved in the process, Rob-san."
"Because Mikoto's busy. If this is who I think it is, you'll understand as soon as she walks through the door."
The office door opened, and a Japanese girl who looked to be about Usagi's age walked in. She was wearing a blue dress with an apron and a maid's cap, and her short hair was pulled back from her face. "Hello, the Funtom Placement Agency sent me about the maid position that you contacted them ab... Shirai!?"
"Maika?"
"You're hired." Both girls looked at Rob; he turned to Kuroko. "Is there some reason why I shouldn't hire Miss Tsuchimikado?"
"Her brother ..." Kuroko started, then stopped.
"Yes, we know her brother is a spy for Necessarius." Maika gasped in surprise. Rob ignored her. "I'd rather Necessarius has somebody inside sending reports back than have them attack us because they don't know what's going on here, which means they need an information conduit out of our building." Rob turned to Maika and smiled. "Also, I've been assured that you actually are a competent maid."
"I'm a maid in training, actually," she replied somewhat unsteadily.
"Good enough for this building. Your room is downstairs - immediately beside Accelerator's."
"Eek!"
Rob's smile became a grin. "Still want the job?"
"I don't have much choice, do I, mister ...?"
"Rob Donaldson. And we're not asking you to become a double agent. As I already said, I'd rather that Necessarius knows what's going on here than have them guess incorrectly."
Maika thought for a brief moment. "That makes sense. What do you get out of this, besides your housekeeping done?"
"Well, as long as you're asking, are you able to contact Necessarius now? On second thought, don't answer that. When you are able to contact Necessarius, I want you to ask them to help us find two people that I expect they want to find anyway."
"Who would these people be?"
"Index Librorum Prohibitorum and Kamijo Touma."
"Oh." Kuroko groused. "Him."
Rob turned to Kuroko. "You know how she feels about him, even if she isn't willing to admit it to herself."
"Does he return her feelings?"
"Does she return yours?"
"I ..." Kuroko wouldn't continue.
"Then it doesn't matter." Rob turned back to Maika. "I apologize for the digression, Miss Tsuchimikado. If you accept the position here, your duties will involve house cleaning, laundry, memorizing the Wikipedia pages about Academy City and Necessarius - Kuroko will give you the URLs - and whatever Necessarius wants you to do that doesn't put anyone here at risk. Remuneration, at least from us, will begin at $600 per week plus room and board. We will review the contract after three months to determine whether this will become a permanent position."
She thought for a long moment. "I accept."
Rob extended his hand. "Thank you, Maika." They shook on the deal. "And if your brother shows up... well, try not to disturb Accelerator."
5:16 pm
"I thought that I was the main chef here. Why hire a maid?"
Rob chose his words carefully. "She isn't here to do the cooking, Mako-chan. She's here primarily to do the laundry and general housekeeping. If you or whoever is on cooking duty needs help in the kitchen, you'll need to ask Maika whether she wants to help. Besides, I thought you wanted to be a pastry chef, not a restaurant chef."
Makoto calmed down. "I still haven't made up my mind whether I want to be a pastry chef or a flower shop owner, but I'm leaning toward being a chef." She thought for a moment. "All right, as long as I get to say who does or doesn't touch my kitchen gear, I don't have a problem with her being here."
"I won't hold you to that, Makoto."
She was suspicious again. "Why not?"
"Because she's also a spy for a group that has an uncomfortable relationship with Academy City."
"When did you know that?"
"Since before you showed up in this universe."
"And you hired her anyway?"
"Of course. This way, we have some control over what Necessarius learns about us - Necessarius is the group she works for - and we get our cleaning done, too."
Makoto's eyes narrowed. "That's awfully manipulative of you."
"She wants to be a maid. As for manipulative, espionage and counter-espionage is rarely free of manipulation. If Usagi is going to become Neo-Queen Serenity and you're going to become one of her advisors, you'll need to come to terms with that."
"Maybe. I still don't like it."
"Besides, this is nothing compared to how government intelligence agencies act, if the declassified reports are anything to go by. She knows that we know who she works for, we know that she knows, and we let her in anyway. If she's at all intelligent, she'll be expecting us to give her a mix of truth and misinformation to send back to her superiors."
"That's true," Maiko replied from just inside the kitchen doorway, the door closing behind her. "Who else is going to know who I really am?"
"Everyone who's read the Wikipedia articles that I said you have to memorize. What can we do for you, Ms. Tsuchimikado?"
"Please just call me Maika while I'm working. I'm here to familiarize myself with the kitchen, so that I can keep it clean. I was told Kino-dono was here?"
"I'm Makoto. I'll show you my kitchen now, so please pay attention to what I say I don't want you to touch. ..."
As Makoto started the tour, Rob quickly got out of the girls' way. He still had to tell Mikoto and Usagi about Maiko, and that conversation was going to take some finesse.
And since when was the common room's kitchen Makoto's property?
To be continued...? Or not...?
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown