“…I’ll ask just in case, but is this homemade too?”
“Of course it is.”
Arisa puffed out her chest and nodded proudly.
What she brought over was a strawberry shortcake.
On top of the white cream, “Happy Birthday” had been written in strawberry jam.
“You can have as much as you like, you know?”
“That’s great… but, um, I’m not confident I can cut it neatly…”
“Yes, I know. Just tell me how much you’d like.”
Arisa cut the cake into portions as requested—
Then, for some reason, stood up and sat down beside Yuzuru.
“U-um… Arisa?”
“…Excuse me.”
Taking a fork, Arisa cut off a small piece of cake.
Then slowly brought it towards Yuzuru’s mouth.
“Here—say ahh…”
“A-ahh…”
As instructed, Yuzuru opened his mouth.
Sweetness spread across his tongue.
“How is it?”
“Y-yeah… it’s good.”
“I’m glad.”
Smiling brightly, Arisa continued feeding him bite after bite.
Though he felt a bit embarrassed, Yuzuru accepted it obediently.
That said, he couldn’t let this go on forever.
“…Arisa, you can give me the fork back now.”
“Ah, yes…”
Looking slightly reluctant, Arisa handed it over.
Yuzuru took the fork and cut a piece of cake—
“Arisa, say ahh.”
“Huh?”
“Come on… don’t want any?”
“I-I do!”
She exclaimed and opened her mouth wide.
Yuzuru brought the cake to her lips.
“Well?”
“…I think I did a pretty good job myself.”
Arisa smiled bashfully.
After that, the two of them continued feeding each other cake.
After the meal…
(…That went well.)
Arisa let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She hadn’t given him the present yet, but—
There was no doubt his birthday celebration had been a success.
(…Yuzuru-san seems happy too. It was worth wearing this.)
She murmured while glancing down at her maid outfit.
The slightly loose neckline, the short skirt—
Wearing something like this had been a bold and embarrassing challenge for her.
But judging from Yuzuru’s reactions, he didn’t seem to find it strange at all.
At that moment, she realised—
She still hadn’t heard his thoughts.
“…Master.”
Calling out to him, Arisa—
Pressed herself against his chest, hugging him.
“W-wait… Arisa?”
Ignoring his confusion, she spoke.
“I haven’t heard your thoughts yet.”
“Y-your thoughts…? Ah—right!! S-sorry… you look cute. It suits you a lot.”
“I see.”
For now, that was enough.
Having him go into detail about how it suited her would just be more embarrassing.
Besides, from his behaviour alone, she could tell he liked it.
(…I’ll forgive him for glancing at my chest.)
Honestly, he was hopeless.
She thought that—conveniently ignoring the fact she’d chosen an outfit that showed it off.
“Can I take a closer look?”
“That’s fine, but… what should I do exactly?”
“For now, stand up.”
As told, Arisa stood.
“Like this?”
“Can you do a little spin?”
“Um… like this?”
She pivoted on one foot and turned her body.
Her skirt fluttered up lightly.
Flustered, Arisa quickly held it down.
She felt her face grow warm.
Glaring at Yuzuru, she asked—
“…Did you do that on purpose?”
Her voice dropped slightly.
Yuzuru shook his head frantically.
“N-no! I wasn’t trying to look!!”
…If he were lying, he wouldn’t be this panicked.
Besides, she’d spun a bit too energetically herself.
Still—there was one thing she had to confirm.
“…So you did see?”
“W-well… yeah…”
So he had.
Heat rushed through her body.
(…I suppose I’ll count this as a small blessing.)
Fortunately, today’s underwear—
Was one of her favourites, and new besides.
“…So, what did you think?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Since you’ve seen it, I thought I might as well hear your opinion.”
Since it had already happened, Arisa decided to own it.
Yuzuru hesitated, then—
“…I think black suits you.”
“I-is that so?”
“And the garter belt… do you usually wear that?”
“N-no… I bought it to match the outfit.”
As she said that, Arisa lifted her skirt slightly.
She’d bought it together with the maid outfit, just to try.
It was her first time wearing one, but surprisingly, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
“…You bought it with the outfit?”
“Yes.”
It was one of the ways she’d spent her wages.
She received an allowance for normal clothes—
So she decided to buy something a bit… out of the ordinary.
“Speaking of buying things… Yu—Master! I have a present for you.”
Arisa went to the kitchen and brought back his gift.
It was wrapped neatly with stylish paper and a ribbon.
“Here… please open it.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Yuzuru thanked her softly—
Then carefully untied the ribbon, unwrapped the paper, and opened the box.
“This is… lotion?”
“I thought about a lot of things, but for a birthday present, something practical and consumable would be best. You can use it after shaving or after a bath.”
At first, she’d considered accessories—
But those depended heavily on personal taste.
If he didn’t like it, it might just become a burden.
And items that lasted forever required care to store.
Since they’d be exchanging gifts every year, she decided consumables were better.
That’s why she chose lotion—
Something she could confidently judge the quality of.
“I see… Well, this is a good opportunity. I’ll start using it.”
With that, Yuzuru carefully put it back in the box.
He likely intended to use it just as she suggested.
“By the way… Arisa. I’d like to thank you properly—would that be alright?”
“…Thank me?”
“Yeah. Come here—sit down.”
As told, Arisa sat in front of him.
Yuzuru gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
A shiver ran through her.
“Is this okay?”
“Y-yes…”
Slowly, he pulled her closer.
His hands moved to her back and the back of her head.
Arisa quietly closed her eyes—
Then felt something soft.
A tingling sensation spread through her.
(Just a little more…!)
She wanted it to last longer.
Something deeper—
That’s what she wished for.
But—
Slowly, Yuzuru pulled away.
“Thank you, Arisa.”
“…Yes. You’re welcome.”
Arisa smiled—
Even as she felt just a little disappointed.
