My Maid is a Formless Entity:Volume 1 Chapter 2
Chapter 2. Outsider, the Story of the Others
Squeeze squeeze. Squeeze squeeze.
As the bright white sheets and pillowcase, and the lovely feeling of a futon warmed by the light of the sun, envelop me gently, from somewhere fall off I feel the touch of a wobbly, Jell-O like substance against my cheeks. Something is gently squeezing me.
"Time to wake up, Master! Time to go!"
I can hear a voice calling me, from somewhere far away...
"Five more minutes..."
Standing before the gates of sleep, I move myself to begin climbing the Steps of Deeper Slumber to the Dreamlands, but I am interrupted by someone gripping my shoulders with great force, and in an instant I have been pulled from the paradise called my futon.
"Good morning, Master!"
"Morning, Miss Tekeli."
Miss Tekeli's tentacle-hands are squeezing my shoulders.
"Ah, it's your head of hair... or head of hands... yeah..."
I feel stupid even saying that. Someone take over for me, please...
"Up and about, Master? Breakfast is ready. Toast, sausages, scrambled eggs, and salad with Japanese lemon dressing!"
Miss Tekeli was beaming with pride. Making a fist from a big hand growing out of her hair, she gave me a thumbs-up. She was in a good mood that seemed to sparkle out loud.
"Great job. But before we do that, just one thing, Miss Tekeli."
"What is it, Master?" Her cheeks flushed red. What an odd reaction.
"Please let me down first. If you just leave me hanging like this, I won't be able to get changed for breakfast."
"I'm very sorry, Master!"
Miss Tekeli's face turned red again. When she wants to display emotion, she does a complete color change. Should I call this a real-life version of an MMORPG emote?
The hands of hair placed me gently down on top of my bed, as if handling something fragile.
"Please come down before breakfast gets cold!" The totally embarrassed Miss Tekeli said this quickly and rushed down the stairs. I stretched out on the bed, slowly waking up my sleepy head. Seems like today is going to be a good day.
Miss Tekeli's breakfast was superb. She had guessed my timing for coming down the stairs, and the toast was just barely browned. I stacked the lettuce, sausage, and scrambled eggs on top of the toast to make an instant sandwich, a custom from my days of eating alone while reading a book. But of course, I don't have the nerves of steel required to sink my face into a book while eating with someone facing me across the table.
The simple work of scarfing down a meal prepared for me by a maid. I'd be used to it if it were an everyday thing, but my life has no connection to that kind of aristocratic, royal lifestyle. I'm a common high school student who goes to school and spends two-thirds of every day looking at a desk.
The kitchen where we were taking our meal had been furnished with a whiteboard, something rarely seen in an ordinary household. Miss Tekeli had rushedly ordered it from a home goods store, and written on the board, or on sheets of paper tacked to it, were things like rules for living together, how to contact me at school, and a manual for Miss Tekeli's home life.
As my father seemed to have expected, there had been frustrating moments, but I, Tooru Araizawa, had been able to take the quite unusual Miss Tekeli and, after some days, make her part of my usual routine.
Even if she was actually a living slime, for the outside observer, it was as if a charming girl had come to live under my roof, so we had to decide on a number of rules. For example, when one of us entered the bathroom, we had to knock to confirm that there was nobody there. (And she does seem to use the bathroom.)
Or, for example, not to enter each other's bedrooms without permission. If one of us thought the other was in there, knock first. Please.
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