68 The Maid.

Ryuji's anxious pacing filled the room, his restlessness palpable.

 "Man, this is getting to me... it's gonna be hella weird just hanging around here." he confessed, his expression a mix of unease and hesitation. "Okay, decision time- I'm out. But you've gotta fill me in on everything... Or, wait, what if you leave and I stay? But then, what if I-"

His indecision caused him to tread an aimless path across the floor while Ren, observing his friend's conflict, let out a chuckle.

"So, what's it gonna be? She'll be here any minute. Remember, this whole maid scenario was your bright idea. It was your life and death final wish." Ren reminded him with a joking tone.

Ryuji paused, his resolve solidifying as he placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.

"I'm passing the baton off to you. Make sure this maid service checks out. It's for the greater good of the Phantom Thieves." he declared, his tone brimming with a mix of seriousness and drama.

Ren couldn't help but roll his eyes at Ryuji's theatrics.

"Yeah, yeah. For the Phantom Thieves. Just so we're clear, I'm not going to engage in any, uh, 'extra' services. You already know about Shiho-"

Before Ren could elaborate anymore, Ryujii cut him off.

"Got it. My lips are zipped. I'll just go scout the area for some sushi or something. I know we just ate, but hey, second dinner, am I right?" Ryuji joked, his mood lightening as he prepared to make a swift exit.

With those final words, Ryuji hurried out, leaving Ren alone to face the impending, peculiar appointment they had set up. 

He wandered to the kitchen, a bemused expression on his face. 

"What the hell am I doing here…" he mused aloud, the absurdity of the situation dawning on him just as a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Good evening… I'm here from the housekeeping service," announced a voice, tinged with a professional courtesy that felt strangely familiar to Ren.

"The door is unlocked. May I come in?" she inquired, gently pushing the door ajar.r.

"Come in." Ren responded with his curiosity piqued as the door swung open.

A woman, her brown hair fashioned into ponytails and donned in a maid costume, stepped inside, offering Ren a meticulously rehearsed bow. 

"Welcome home, master. I'm Becky♥" Her greeting, accompanied by a forced smile and playful cat-paw gesture, seemed both practiced and weary. "Let me fill your heart with joy and vitality. Meow! ♥"

Despite the practiced cheer, Ren noticed the fatigue etched into her face. But what truly caught him off guard was the fact that he recognized the person in front of him. She was his homeroom teacher, Kawakami, seemingly oblivious to his identity in her current appearance.

Unlike his usual school outfit, he wasn't wearing his glasses today, and he was also wearing a nicer pair of clothes he had gotten for free as part of the payment from shooting one of the commercials. 

"What would you like me to do today? The basics include cooking, cleaning, and laundry. But there are other 'services' that we can…. Oh shit." She muttered as realization suddenly dawned on her.

With a hasty bow, she attempted to retreat.

"I am sorry, master ♥. It seems I have the wrong house." She said, yet as she saw Ren's expression, she dropped the act. "Oh god…. I'm so done…"

Her expression looked as if her whole world was collapsing around her.

"I should have taken a job outside of the city… But then it would have been too far… And-" she lamented, caught in her internal conflict.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to tell anyone about your… side job," Ren assured her, his tone a mix of empathy and awkwardness.

At Ren's reassurance, Kawakami's tense demeanor eased ever so slightly, her shoulders dropping as a measure of stress seemed to dissipate.

"What are you doing hiring maids, Amamiya?" she asked, her voice a mix of bewilderment and fatigue as she sank into one of the kitchen chairs. "You're a responsible student, good grades and all. I understand teenagers go through phases, but wouldn't it be more fitting to ask a classmate out? This seems more like a stunt Sakamoto would pull..."

Her voice trailed off, a moment of realization dawning upon her. 

"Wait a second, did Sakamoto rope you into this? I've noticed the two of you hanging out lately. I knew he was a bad influence…"

Shaking his head slightly, Ren deflected the question with one of his own.

"Well, that doesn't matter. I'm more curious about why you've taken up this... job."

Hearing the question, Kawakami gently placed her head on the kitchen table. She sighed deeply and took a few moments before lifting her head back up.

"It's... not something I wanted to get involved in, honestly. But, the bills pile up, and the teacher's salary doesn't stretch far enough to cover everything, especially not the debts I'm responsible for."

She paused, her eyes clouded with a mix of resignation and vulnerability.

"I took on this job thinking it would be a quick way to make extra money without it interfering with my day job. I never imagined one of my own students would end up hiring the service."

Letting out a sigh of his own, Ren asked her with narrowed eyes.

"Please tell me it wasn't gambling. Or a loan from a loan shark." He knew those were the messiest forms of debt, and things would only go downhill with each passing day. 

Hearing his question, Kawakami was quick to dismiss his fears. 

"What? No! Nothing like that. It's…" Kawakami clarified genuinely before hesitating slightly. "My sister… she's sick, and I have some medical bills to pay…"

Ren could tell that she was either lying or holding back near the end, but he wasn't going to press her further, at least for now. Each person was entitled to their own secrets.

"I actually know a doctor not too far from here. She's somewhat of a prodigy in her field, and she might be able to offer your sister some assistance. We're quite close, so I'm sure we can arrange something out so that you don't have to continue with this side job if you don't want to." Ren proposed, hoping to offer a lifeline.

"Ren…" Kawakami's voice trailed off, a storm of emotions crossing her face before burying her face in her hands. "What the hell am I doing…?"

Standing up from her desk with a guilty expression, she said.

"I'm sorry, I should probably go…" Yet as she said that, her phone began to buzz. Her expression shifted to one of discomfort before she answered the phone and walked to another room.

Through the thin walls, Ren could overhear fragments of the tense exchange.

"[Yes, I've made the transfer... How can that be? It's the exact amount I sent last week. What do you mean—? Yes, of course, I understand. I'll find a solution…]"

As Kawakami left the room, she had a tired expression.

"I don't suppose you have a spare 100,000 yen lying around, do you?" She tried to say in a joking tone, yet before she could open her mouth again to take back the joke, Ren answered.

"Sure," Ren said, reaching for his wallet, his reply immediate and serious.

"Huh?" Kawakami's astonishment was palpable, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Working for Leblanc, as a model for the two commercials, and as a Phantom Thief, Ren had started to save up quite a bit of money. Each shadow that was defeated would either offer cash in exchange for their life or drop some when they turned to dust. Simply going down to the Metaverse to train could, if done correctly, replace a full-time job.

As to why shadows could drop actual money, they had reasoned that video games were integrated deep enough into the collective unconscious that the thought, "Enemies drop loot and money when they die," had become a reality in the metaverse.

Now, standing in his living room, Ren handed Kawakami a bundle of cash. Her hands trembled slightly as she accepted it, still visibly taken aback.

"Ren- I mean- Amamiya, you really don't have to do this…" she stammered, caught between her pride and her desperate situation.

"Think of it as just a teacher's bonus, nothing more." Ren assured her, attempting to ease the gravity of the transaction with a smile.

Kawakami's attempt to articulate her gratitude stumbled, her words halting before she could fully voice them. With a momentary pause, she donned a semblance of her earlier cheerful demeanor, mimicking the overly bright 'persona' of Becky, the maid.

"Thank you so much, Master! ♥ Please don't hesitate to call me if you ever need someone to help you cook, clean, or do laundry. ♥" Yet as she finished her sentence, her mask dropped. "I'm sorry, I can't, I don't know why-"

It was clear that she had tried to use the 'persona' of Becky to hide her true emotions, but it was too much for her at the moment.

Quickly making her way towards the door, she turned to face Ren with a look of sincere appreciation tinged with a hint of distress. 

"Thank you… And, um, if you ever need a break during class, just let me know… Or- well- damn it." She muttered, her face filled with guilt and embarrassment as she darted out.

With Kawakami gone, Ren sat down in the kitchen once again. Letting out a tired sigh as he looked at the ceiling.

"The Temperance…" he whispered to the empty room.

A card that, in its upright position, was supposed to signify balance and moderation, harmony and healing. Thinking back to her tired expression, Ren could remember all of the times she would yawn and let tired sighs escape during class. 

Judging by how guilty she looked during their conversation, she was a clear picture of the Reversed Temperance Arcana: imbalance, conflict and disharmony, and lack of purpose or direction.

With these thoughts swirling, Ren reached for his phone and dialed Ryuji. The sounds of a bustling restaurant were in the background as Ryuji answered.

"Hey, man, how'd it go with the maid? Was she cute? Anything 'interesting' happen?"

Chuckling slightly, Ren answered.

"Nah, you would probably have better luck going to a maid cafe or something like that. This maid thing is a scam."

"For real? Did they not clean the house properly or something like that?" Ryuji asked, confusion and curiosity mingling in his voice.

"Yeah, something like that… but hey, next maid cafe is on me." Ren offered, deftly steering the conversation away from the evening's unexpected turn.

"Hell yeah, dude! But, dude, you'll never guess where I'm at." Ryuji boasted, the sound of his laughter competing with the ambient noise.

Before Ren could venture a guess, he heard another voice in the background.

"Master ♥, your pancakes are ready. Served with extra love ♥."

Ren couldn't contain his amusement, a burst of laughter escaping him. 

'"Ya know, after I left, I thought. 'Hey, it's not fair for Ren to have all the fun.' So I swung over to this one." Ryuji explained with a chuckle.

"God damn it, Ryuji," he said, the corners of his mouth betraying a reluctant smile. "I take back my offer. I'll see ya tomorrow."

~Confidants~

Sadayo Kawakami (The Temperance.) Rank 2