My "Ikemen" Butler

Chapter 2: My Butler's Test

“Oh nani? Why did you come in here dressed like that?” Hiromi asked Kaoru confusingly, she have never been more awake in the morning as she was right then.

            “Didn’t you want me to become your butler? Well, this is me saying yes. From now on, please take care of me ojou-sama,” he replied as he knelt in front of her bowing respectfully.

            “You sure that you won’t change your mind?” Hiromi asked seriously now.

            “Hai! From now on, let me save you ojou-sama. This can also be a good way for me to show gratitude that saved me and gave me hope again,” he said kindly as he looked at her almost passionately while he is still kneeling on the ground.

            “Then, it’s time to call my father,” Hiromi said as she immediately got out of her bed and picked up her phone ready to call her father but before she could even dial a number, Tetsu came barging in the room again saying, “Ah-ah, so it comes down to this now huh?”

“Tetsuya how dare you? Have you been eavesdropping again?” Hiromi shouted angrily but Tetsu just brushed that aside and continued saying, “Of course saying that you want him to be your butler is easy; the hard part is telling your father about it. This guy isn’t even a graduate of any butler school, nor is he an S class butler. Isn’t it that your father always says the only people worthy of being a butler for a Kokobu family are one with S class qualifications?”

“Then, I would do whatever it takes to become Hiromi-sama’s butler. Right now, the only thing I want to do is to serve my ojou-sama,” Kaoru said as he slowly got up to his feet again, looking at Hiromi with his usual angelic smile. Hiromi can’t help but smile confidently back at him and then to Tetsu smugly and said, “You heard him.” She began dialing her dad’s phone and he immediately picked up on the other line saying, “I’m in a hurry so say what you need to say quickly.”

Hiromi is already used to that kind of answer from her dad so she just ignored the stern attitude in his voice and said, “You don’t need to find me a butler anymore. I already provided myself with one. And I’m not changing my mind on this. If you really want me to have a butler then I’m choosing,” Hiromi said seriously, almost sounding monotonous.

“What? Hiromi, what is this joke you’re blabbering?” He’s dad said, sounding like he’s angry again.

“It’s not a joke. I’m serious. And he’s the one that’s going to accompany me to London. That’s my final answer,” Hiromi answered sternly still.

“You…” her dad was saying but Hiromi immediately cut him off saying, “You’ve got to go. You have a meeting remember?”

She cut the line dead before his dad could even say anything back. “Whew, you really are a tough one aren’t you cous’? I could never fight back to my parents like that,” Tetsu said as he now lay back on Hiromi’s bed again.

“Ojou-sama,” Kaoru said cutting off in their conversation.

“What?” Hiromi asked curiously looking at him.

“Thank you. Thank you for believing in me and trusting me. I promise you I’ll do my best as your butler,” Kaoru said happily.

“No problem. But I don’t think this is over yet. Knowing my father he’ll probably do something to spoil this. Be prepared! This is just the calm before the storm,” Hiromi said seriously again.

“Hai!” Kaoru said bowing at her as a sign of respect once more.

“Prepare me some change up clothes, I’m going to take a bath now,” Hiromi said as she immediately went in the bathroom inside that room.

“Hai, wakaremashita,” Kaoru replied and he immediately went to business.

Hiromi’s head was spinning at that moment as she got into the bathroom. She doesn’t want to show her worried self to either her cousin or Kaoru cause it might just make them worry too. She knows very well that by making that decision, there will be consequences. She doesn’t know what her dad will do but she was pretty sure it would be something that will test the sturdiness of her new butler. She might have chosen him already but she knows very well what her father can do. If it doesn’t work out, Kaoru could be out of her sight before she even got to know him better.

She splashed a handful of water from the sink and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror saying, “If you really want to serve me Kaoru, you have to do your best…whatever it is,” she said, talking to herself in the mirror. Then she noticed through the mirror that the bath tub behind her is already full of water. She went over to it and checked if it was water from last night but as soon as she touched it, it was perfectly warm, as if it was readily prepared for bathing.

As soon as she finished bathing, she immediately went downstairs to join everyone for breakfast.

“Ohayou!” Hiromi said happily as she sat down at the empty chair slot around the table. “Ohayou Hiro-chan. Had a good sleep?” Her aunt asked her curiously.

“Hai, thanks for letting me stay here again,” Hiromi said in delight. She joined her hands together and faced her food saying, “Well, itadakimasu!” She took a bite of the scrambled eggs prepared on her plate and happily said aloud, “Oishi desu!”

“ Baka seems to be in a good mood today,” her cousin Tetsu said confusingly looking at her.

“What? Can’t I be?” Hiromi said grumpily. “Oh, by the way obaa-san, thanks for lending Kaoru the butler’s uniform. It’s probably Shiki-san’s huh? Oh, and Shiki-san, thanks for agreeing too,” Hiromi said as she looked at Shiki, the house’s head butler, who was standing right next to Kaoru at that moment near the kitchen door.

“Anything for you mistress,” Shiki said as he bowed down at Hiromi respectfully.

“Oh, and the bath water too, thanks for preparing it for me. I figured it would be you,” Hiromi added, still has her gaze fixed on Shiki.

Shiki looked at her confusingly. “Gumenasai ojou-sama, but as much as I wanted to take credit for that, I wasn’t the one who fixed your bath water this morning,” he answered.

“Ah actually, it was Kaoru who prepared that bath water for you earlier. I saw him do it,” Tetsu said as he took a bite of his food.

Hiromi turned her gaze to Kaoru immediately, who at that time, was already looking at her with an adorable smile on his face.

“Um…anoo…arigatou,” Hiromi said shyly and she hastily turned her back in him once more and began eating.

…

That afternoon while Hiromi was doing some light reading in her bedroom, her whole bedroom door just suddenly flung open making a huge bang as it hits the wall. Kaoru was stupefied but he was able to put himself in front of Hiromi as if to protect her. But Hiromi as if she was expecting the whole thing, didn’t even flinch from her seat and still had her gaze fixated in her book until a tall, white man in black tuxedo came inside the room with two other people following behind him.

Hiromi looked up to meet the man’s gaze with no sign of fear on her eyes whatsoever and said, “I knew you’d come…dad.”

Kaoru fringed a little upon hearing the word dad but still remained his ground.  Mr. Kokubo stared at him from head to toe but Kaoru just mimicked Hiromi’s bravery and just hid his fear. “I’m doing this for my new master so I shouldn’t feel scared,” he thought to himself.

“I see, so this is what you’re talking about. I can’t see anything special on him,” Mr. Kokubo said as he came closer towards Kaoru, looking at him sternly.

“Well I see something,” Hiromi said frankly.

“Is that so? We’ll see!” Mr. Kokubo answered as he took a few steps back.

“I brought Mr. Jacob Clint from the Butler’s University in London with me today. If he is eligible to be a Kokubo Family butler, it is up for the two of us to decide,” he added.

“So…?” Hiromi asked confusingly.

“We’re gon’na test him…a butler test,” Mr. Kokubo said with a grin on his face as if he can already see what the result is going to be.