The Crystal's Whisper and The Wind's Embrace

Chapter 24: A Month's Subscription

The next morning, Tsukiyo was summoned to Sanemi's mansion at the crack of dawn.

Still bleary-eyed and yawning, Tsukiyo trudged into the mansion, only to find Sanemi already waiting there with his arms crossed.

"What took you so long to get here?" Sanemi demanded, his tone laced with irritation.

"It's only 7 am, Shinazugawa. Even the cats on the streets are still asleep," Tsukiyo retorted, a hint of defiance in her voice.

"Someone was boasting about being ready for any task that comes her way, but it seems like it was all empty talk," Sanemi scoffed, his expression unimpressed.

Tsukiyo straightened up immediately, forcing herself to stay awake. "I'm ready," she declared firmly, determination gleaming in her tired eyes.

Sanemi couldn't help but suppress a chuckle at the comical sight before him, though he managed to maintain his stoic demeanour. His gaze swept over Tsukiyo, and he grinned mischievously, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes.

Tsukiyo caught Sanemi's stare and instinctively wrapped her arms around herself protectively. 

With narrowed eyes, she issued a warning, "Don't even think about pulling anything shady. Sure, I might be at your beck and call for a month, but I won't stoop to compromising my integrity for your schemes," she declared firmly, shooting him a disdainful glare.

Sanemi raised an eyebrow in confusion at her words, but as her meaning dawned on him, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Oh, spare me your paranoia. It's not like I'm interested in you, even if you were the last woman on Earth, Miss Washing Board," he retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.

Tsukiyo's cheeks flushed crimson, torn between embarrassment and indignation. Swiftly changing the subject, she shot back, "Guess someone's got a serious case of bad taste, huh? So, Mr. No-Brow, what do you need me to do for you?" she quipped, refusing to concede defeat in their verbal sparring match.

"Well, I just thought you looked like you'd make a pretty decent maid. Maybe you can start by whipping up some breakfast for me," Sanemi suggested.

Tsukiyo's eyes widened in disbelief. "You want me to be your maid?"

Sanemi nodded, a playful glint in his eyes. "Yep, that's the plan. But don't worry, I'll make it worth your while."

With a skeptical glance, Tsukiyo reluctantly agreed, following Sanemi into the kitchen. As she began gathering ingredients, Sanemi leaned against the counter, watching her with amusement.

"So, what's on the menu today?" Tsukiyo asked, trying to hide her nerves.

Sanemi shrugged. "Surprise me."

With a determined nod, Tsukiyo set to work, chopping vegetables and cracking eggs.

As Tsukiyo navigated her way around the kitchen, Sanemi couldn't resist chiming in with his trademark complaints. "Is that supposed to be scrambled eggs or a pile of rubber? You might want to work on your cooking skills," he remarked.

As the smell of cooking filled the air, Sanemi's stomach growled impatiently. "Is it ready yet?"

Tsukiyo shot him a glare. "Patience, Sanemi. Good food takes time."

After what felt like an eternity of cooking, Tsukiyo proudly presented Sanemi with a steaming plate of food. He eyed it warily, taking a cautious bite.

"Cough- What is this supposed to be?" Sanemi's expression twisted in disgust as he nearly spat out the food. Memories of Tsukiyo's previous culinary disasters flashed through his mind.

"Is it really that bad? Let me try," Tsukiyo insisted, reaching for a forkful of the questionable dish.

"Oof- This is terrible!" Tsukiyo's reaction mirrored Sanemi's as she quickly spat out the food. 

"Let me remake it, this is inedible," she declared, reaching to take the plate away.

"What are you doing? We shouldn't waste food!" Sanemi protested, snatching the plate back.

Despite his complaints about the taste, he continued to eat, albeit with a grimace. 

Tsukiyo couldn't help but notice how he eagerly devoured every last bite, despite his earlier protests.

With breakfast out of the way, Sanemi wasted no time in putting Tsukiyo to work. He had her clean every nook and cranny of his sparsely furnished house, grumbling all the while about the state of things.

After what felt like hours of cleaning, Tsukiyo finally collapsed onto the floor, exhausted but satisfied with her efforts. Sanemi, however, seemed far from finished.

"Hey, Amano," he called from the other room. "I need you to help me restock the pantry."

Tsukiyo groaned, but begrudgingly dragged herself to her feet. It seemed that being at Sanemi's beck and call was going to be a lot more work than she had anticipated.

After a long day of work for Sanemi, Tsukiyo can finally call it a day, exhausted.

"Thanks, Amano," Sanemi said gruffly, his tone softening just a touch. "I guess you're not as useless as I thought."

Tsukiyo couldn't shake the feeling of dread for the days to come. If every day was going to be like this, she was in for a rough month.