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The sound of a blaring alarm still rang in Shuichi’s ear.
Despite being a deep sleeper he knew the fire alarm to be far too loud, even for the likes of him. He had cursed it in the past for that reason. For safety’s sake the entire building had to be emptied out whenever a hint of smoke could be detected, which meant it also activated whenever a drunk idiot decided to cook ramen in the middle of the night.
There had been many occasions when Shuichi sat downstairs in the hallway with the other inhabitants, impatiently waiting for the fire department to arrive and allow everyone to go back to sleep.
It’s why it initially didn’t concern him when the thing dragged him out of bed once more, making him yawn lazily and even consider attempting to sleep through it. But as it turned out, this would be the first time Shuichi was glad for it to have gone off.
The smokey smell penetrated his nostrils as soon as he opened the front door, and not just the kind that clearly came from burned food. Something was actually on fire this time. He wasn’t sure where, but that didn’t matter either way. That mere tiny scent awoke every nerve in his body and quickly made him jump inside for his general bag which held his ID, money and the likes. He knew packing anything more was dangerous, and admittedly, he didn’t have the opportunity to even consider otherwise.
It had been 45 minutes since then, Shuichi this time sitting on the pavement of the other side of the road, staring up at his building. The firefighters were still busy containing the fire which had spread out by now. While it hadn’t reached his apartment, he’d probably have to deal with a lot of water damage instead.
Someone had already informed him and some other residents they would likely not be able to return for the coming week, and recommended finding another place to stay. They shared contacts of a local relief service, but at this moment Shuichi had little mental capability to think about making arrangements. He preferred the idea of heading out to a pod hotel instead to get at least that bit of sense of normalcy.
But first, call up those close to you to let them know you’re okay. Maybe talking to such a person is also what Shuichi himself needed to release the stress.
It took a long time before the phone was picked up, a muffled tired ‘hello?’ finally answering.
“Hey, Kaito. It’s me, Shuichi.”
“Shuichi…?” A low groan sounded followed by the soft sound of sheets moving. Considering the silence, he must have been squinting his eyes at the clock which read 03:12. “... Dude, when I said you could call me up anytime, this isn’t really what I meant. And I know you’re not calling because of the night sky, it’s nothing but cloudy today.”
Kaito Momota was Shuichi’s best friend in which the classic trope of extrovert adopts introvert showed itself. Shuichi couldn’t quite remember how it happened, only how the man suddenly brought him in for a group project, started calling him bro, and invited him for training. Though that training did quite often end up with him just pointing out the entire galaxy and gushing over it for hours. He was the Ultimate Astronaut through and through, and while their friendship perhaps seemed rather strange on paper, in reality it felt freeing exactly because of how unserious he was.
“Yeah, that’s not what I’m calling for…” He dug his right foot on the road surface, “There was a fire in my building.”
“Wait, what?” The haze in his voice instantly vanished. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. It wasn’t me or my neighbour, but I already know I won’t be able to go back to my place in a while… I wanted to call you to let you know I’m safe before you’d maybe see it on the news in the morning.”
“Man, that sucks… So where are you going to stay now? Do they have a place for you guys?”
“You get to kind of choose where you go, I guess…” His sight lingered over the building in front of him again, going over every window and realizing how much could be lost. “I haven’t really decided what to do. I’ll probably just go to a pod hotel. It’s not like I’m carrying much either way.”
“Don’t you think you need to be with someone after something like this? You’re free to crash at my place.”
“Thanks for the offer, but the first train to you doesn’t start running until 6. A pod hotel is fine, it’s cheap and-”
“Why don’t you stay at Kirumi’s instead?”
Aside from the fact Kirumi was the person living closest in his area, the suggestion was based on several other factors.
Shuichi sat his time at the Academy for Gifted Juveniles, where he also met Kaito, out with 15 other students, ranging from fairly normal to plausibly brain damaged insanity. Kirumi fell in the middle of it; she was probably the most sane person in their class, but her incredible ability as Ultimate Maid is where things got muddy. Shuichi had already heard of her before they officially met, and the stories he read of incredible intellect and strength all turned out to be true. Besides that, she was welcoming and sure to take care of anyone in need.
“The guest room’s bed is so nice and the breakfast… Shuichi, the breakfast!”
Kaito had depended on that loyalty despite the many passing years of little to no contact. He went out to drink quite often to the typical point of not being able to make it home. One time he drunkenly called Kirumi up and since then has been big on promoting her place as the perfect hangover recovery. By the way he described things, he made it sound like paradise. While Shuichi was sure it could not be a total lie, he also had trouble completely trusting the statement considering Kaito once ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor and dared to say he slept well.
Still, being able to stay at an actual house with a proper mattress in comparison to one of those hotel pods sounded more than just appealing. If only calling her up wouldn’t test his anxiety.
Many never held back on requesting most anything of Kirumi - something she herself also promoted them to do - but Shuichi didn’t have it in him to go to that same extent. The times she helped him were always appreciated, and although they had a good relationship during their studies, it had withered away. They lived in the same city and still rarely met up along with a seldom text here and there.
Usually when they texted there was a reason for it, like a new detective novel being published from one of their favorite authors. Texting her beyond that felt difficult, partly because of how busy she was, partly because she was a terrible texter. That combined with Shuichi’s own lacking social skills made their conversations feel basic and Shuichi wasn’t sure what stamp to put on it. Were they still friends?
Or at least acquainted enough to call her out of bed at 3 in the morning to beg for a last-minute crash?
“I’m sure the breakfast is great…” The taste of freshly baked buns already lingered on his taste buds. He didn’t usually stray from his typical rice with miso soup combo. “It’s just, I only have a vague idea of where she lives and I really don’t feel like I can ask such a big thing of her. You might not have trouble calling up anyone’s contact details even when it’s been 7 years since you last clicked on it, but it’s different for me.”
Shuichi braced himself for a big shout back that would shoot his slowly closing eyelids right open again, a response like ‘You and I both know she would never mind! Kirumi would be happy to help! Heck, if she hears you skipped on her she’ll be offended more than anything!’. Except, it didn’t come. All that came through were low throat noises.
“... Kaito, are you falling asleep? I-I’m sorry. I’ll figure it out, don’t worry-”
“She’s going to text you in a bit!” he suddenly announced.
“... Who’s going to text me?”
“Kirumi, of course!”
“K-Kirumi…?!”
“I wasn’t really listening, but I’m sure you made up several excuses as to why you don’t dare to ask for her help. So I did it for you.”
Why was Shuichi surprised at this point?
He groaned a little, embarrassed. It made him feel like a young teen who’s afraid to call up the hairdresser for the first time to which their parents decides to do it after all. “So you just woke her up…?”
“Considering how quickly she responded, she probably wasn’t asleep. Come on, man, don’t dismiss yourself like that. You’ll be able to catch some proper sleep and figure things out tomorrow morning. That’s better too, right?”
As if on command Shuichi’s phone pinged. When he drew it away from his ear, tapping it to light up the notification screen, her name decorated the dark background. Aside from the very formal greeting the message only held an address. A show of Kirumi’s blunt direct texting style.
While he wasn’t too happy with Kaito’s stunt, the idea of simply laying down to catch some sleep was all he wanted at that moment. And considering Kirumi already expected him, he might as well make use of it.
“Alright… I’ll go to her.” He smiled a bit, “Thanks, Kaito.”
He didn’t remember much of how the next 30 minutes went. After booting up the navigation on his phone he stumbled through the city’s streets, barely registering the journey and finding his way inside a tall building.
A heavy door guarded the residents from outsiders, meaning he must have rang Kirumi’s doorbell to open it. All he remembered from there was taking an elevator ride that felt way too long, the figure of a tall slender woman opening the door for him and then his tired body meeting soft sheets.
When he woke up the next morning, groaning both in satisfaction of the nice lavender fabric softener and dissatisfaction at his still tired body, it took a moment to find his footing. Aside from the detergent he didn’t recognize, the unfamiliar woodwork jolted him up.
Flowers richly decorated the bed’s headboard, engraved in the wood, and expanding to the long curtains by the window. They fabric was thick, only tiny stripes of sunlight making it through and landing on the red carpet. Shuichi fiddled around for a light, eventually finding the flip switch of a table lamp which felt right at place with the gone-out-of-fashion-100-years-ago decor. A decor which came straight from the Victorian era.
For a moment he considered having woken up in the wrong century, when he remembered whose home he had entered: Kirumi Tojo's, the woman who told him about how much of an honor it was to be a maid in that time.
He scoffed lightly, running his hands through his messy raven hair, “So you decided to decorate your house this way… How quaint.” As he continued looking around a bit, a light smile growing on his face knowing at least one thing had not changed, the search for a clock proved to be futile. Maybe Kirumi found her guests shouldn’t have to worry about such things.
After a big stretch, reaching his hands high to the ceiling, he crawled out of bed and moved to the curtains, opening them to get a glimpse of the sun and deduce the approximate time that way.
Instead a beautiful skyline claimed any and all of his attention. The inner city and its tall apartment buildings stood in the back of the view, contrasting with the mountains further out and the other apartment buildings which surrounded his own placement into a cozy neighbourhood. Still, even the homes near to him looked like miniatures, right up for grabbing the people and moving them around like dolls. The sight was breathtaking and most of all, expensive.
He quickly shut the curtain, returning to the dark.
Surely he must have been dreaming.
Yet when he reopened the curtain, the disbelief of his surroundings came right back. He had never dared to look at the price of apartments with a view like this, especially when combined with this incredibly recent neighbourhood reserved for anyone who felt like they had too much money to spend.
This is where Kirumi lived?
Without taking into account how much of a mess he still must have looked like, he hollered out of the room, going through a just as richly decorated hallway and entering the combined kitchen and living room.
A wall of windows greeted the sun to shine upon an elegant, yet modern, Victorian style living room, filled with frills, pillows and even a faux hearth - all of it somehow harmonizing, never once coming across as too much or messy. Even the transition to the kitchen went smoothly thanks to the tiny flower patterns which had grown themselves on the wooden boards.
If all of this wasn’t big enough yet, another hallway had carved itself on the other side of the room and a set of stairs on the side of the living room led upward, though at this point Shuichi was already far too overwhelmed by the interior to have any sort of thought running on how much more space there was.
“Kaito always went on and on about the breakfast yet he never thought to mention you basically wake up in a castle…?! God, this… H-how rich is she…?”
There was no way a place like this could be afforded by Kirumi. Even if she had once joked around about how much pay she asks for her services, claiming 1.5 million per day to be far too steep of a price, he seriously started considering if ‘too steep’ meant only a few thousand yen too much. Alternatively she lived with a partner so they could afford it together, although with the lack of pictures that theory was difficult to either confirm or refute.
He stepped out of his paralysis and headed for the pile of aluminium foil on the kitchen island, a letter having been stuck to it.
(Presumably) Good morning, Shuichi.
I hope you slept well. Unfortunately I had to go to work today and don’t expect to be returning until later tonight. I have prepared breakfast and there are also plenty of foods and drinks at your disposal in the refrigerator. Should you crave anything else, I have left some cash along with spare keys in the hallway to get around with.
In the other hallway you will find the bathroom as well as the washing room. A recommendation from me to you: The weather forecast spoke of bright weather today, so you may want to spend time on the rooftop.
Please make yourself at home and take it easy. In case you run into any issues you can either call the administrator downstairs or give me a call.
Until tonight, perhaps.
- Kirumi
At this point Shuichi was still too baffled to take in another set of details which had been interwoven in the paper. No wonder Kaito wanted him to stay here as badly as he did, even when she’s not at home she somehow managed to find a way to absolutely pamper her guest to luxury. It almost made him feel bad.
He opened the fridge and was met with an arrangement of food surely nobody could ever have complaints about, and yet she found it necessary to offer an alternative by leaving her own funds behind. “You’re too good, Kirumi…”
After unpacking the food from the aluminium foil, he instantly realized how much he truly had missed her cooking and quickly set his teeth in a freshly baked croissant. He looked over the city through the large windows as he mulled over a plan to repay his hostess. She might think to be doing him a simple gesture, but to him it meant so much that a plain ‘thank you’ wouldn't cut it.
He couldn’t go too big, if she was still anything like at the Academy a big gesture would just lead to an incredibly awkward moment and perhaps even a scolding. It had to be something small, something that would give the same reaction as when he once took a bottle of ketchup with him from the supermarket because he had overheard her in the morning mentioning she didn’t have any left.
Simple ketchup. He fluttered at the memory of Kirumi’s own smile and soft giggle, an incredible show of delight through her professional demure.
Well, if she wouldn’t come back until later tonight, there was something which held the perfect amount of casualness.
He cleaned up and took to the bathroom - a lot less Victorian at its core, especially the bathtub which looked straight from a private onsen - freshened up and threw his clothes in the washing machine and then in the dryer. With how he slept in them last night it felt anything but right to continue walking around in what had essentially become his pajamas.
In the meantime he made a few calls in regards to the fire situation as well as to call out of work for some days, and went outside once he was all ready to go.
By the time Kirumi’s keys connected with the front door the summer sun was already setting, an orange glow raining over the city as the dark of the night slowly came in its mixture. Her keys clung on the side table, followed by her coat and heels taking their designated places. She dusted her maid dress straight, eager to look presentable even if she was about to throw it in the wash and head straight for bed.
But before doing all that, she'd head to the kitchen to make some tea.
Her slender fingers slid to the light switch as they always did, ready to turn with the corner and aim for the kettle. That is if it weren’t for the fact someone else’s hand was already on the handle.
She quickly retracted her own and looked up to the stranger she very much had let in by her own accord not even 24 hours ago.
Shuichi gave a sheepish smile when the deadpan look on her face penetrated his soul. The break in her routine had left her system to run into an error. He quickly spoke up to get her back on track, “Hey, welcome home, Kirumi.”
She blinked a bit, the memories of the early morning returning to her. “... Shuichi, you are still here?”
“Yes, of course, I- Ah, did you think I’d be in bed already? I wanted to wait for you. Look.” He proudly filled up two rose adorned cups he had set on the kitchen top, matching the two small plates on which a slice of strawberry cake had been put on. “Strawberry cheesecake, the one you’d make during the summer festival, and white tea. I saw you already own plenty of different tea blends, but I saw online white tea is supposed to be a perfect fit with strawberry cake, and you didn’t have that one lying around, so I thought it would be a nice gift to get you.”
Somehow that explanation just made her look even more at him like she saw a ghost.
“... Is this not casual after all?”
Just when he was about to stutter an apology, Kirumi’s eyes shut downward and a grin threatened to come through. When she looked up again her emerald eyes had grown soft, as had her other facial features. She always carried a standard strict expression, one which never seemed to have existed in this moment. “Shuichi, you shouldn’t have.”
Her face and the way the words rolled out sweet like honey proved the exact opposite; she was incredibly grateful. “It’s the least I could do for you for letting me crash here.” He took the two plates and moved to the seating area, putting them down on the table. When he returned to the kitchen to grab the cups, Kirumi’s hand blocked him.
“Don’t you want to sit outside? The temperature is pleasant.”
“... Outside?”
“Yes. The roof. Like I mentioned in the letter?”
“.....”
“... You remember so many details about me, and yet you failed to read my recommendation.” She chuckled lightly, “That’s not very detective-ish of you.”
To be fair, there was already so much to comprehend that the fact she aside from this rich man’s house also had rooftop access was not something he could handle on top.
“Come,” she swiftly carried the cups with her to the stairs, “it’s not much, but it is nice.”
With the plates back in hand Shuichi followed up, making it through another room which easily could have functioned as a bedroom but had instead taken the occupancy of a private library - again, Shuichi couldn’t help but be amazed - before going through the terrace doors and arriving at the rooftop.
The view previously only granted through the windows had now expanded to a full 360 degrees, the dome of the sky combined with the small lights of buildings whirling around the ground creating a space which completely shut from reality.
The part of the roof just before the terrace doors had been dressed as such to copy the idea of a small garden with flowers like roses bordering the fake grass. A nice wooden garden set with several seats stood in the middle, little lights powered on solar energy hanging above.
This definitely was better than sitting inside.
They took their places next to each other and quietly nibbled on the refreshing cake. No words were spoken, but none were needed either.
Eventually, when Shuichi laid his fork down, he spoke up, “Kirumi, your place is amazing.”
“You think so?” she took her own final bite.
“Yes. I mean, I know you loved the Victorian style, but the way you sent the apartment all the way back in time is gratifying. It’s very ‘you’.”
“Thank you.” You could tell by her tone she was proud of it as well. “It was certainly quite the task to gather everything, but that also made it all the more satisfying.”
“And the whole place itself… So big, and the view… The view!” He sat himself upright a bit, craving to get a better view of the way the glittering skyline silhouetted in the mountains.
She too sat up a bit as she exchanged her plate for the cup of tea, looking over the view with that same wonder for exploration. It was almost like she hadn’t seen much of it herself. “It is very beautiful,” she mused.
“You and your partner must earn well to be able to afford this place.”
“Partner?” Her brow drew together and she turned to him.
The sternness in her body forced him to look back at her. “... You’re doing this on your own?”
“Yes.”
Even if he had already half expected her to be living by herself, it still surprised him to have it confirmed. “... How?”
“My clients pay well,” she said, stirring her tea. “And I do work nearly the whole week. Days such as today are normal for me.”
Kirumi had always been a hardworking person, nobody could ever deny that, and to ask her to do otherwise was something that insulted her very core. Work and being alive meant the same thing in her book. It used to worry Shuichi, especially because, in order to achieve such, she neglected her basic human need for interpersonal connections
“But then… when do you ever enjoy the view or your home?”
Her lips pursed in thought, no coherent reply aside from a variation of the typical meaningless but formal answer she formed back when she was a teen escaping her mouth. “I do not mind. To serve others is a maid’s duty.”
That could not be the truth. For how good of a liar Kirumi was, Shuichi saw right through it, both thanks to his skills as detective but also because he knew this teen version of Kirumi very well and completed the puzzle a long time ago. The only issue he had was seeing what truth she tried to cover in the first place.
He took a sip from his tea, taking in the aroma with a deep breath. “Kirumi, why do you even have this place?”
“Excuse me?”
“You live entirely on your own and then you’re not even here most of the time. So, why does a person like you need a space like this?”
A sigh escaped her lips, slightly leaning back into the chair and connecting her eyes with the few glimmering stars which had made their way through the dark. “... Do you ever miss the Academy?”
“... The Academy?”
“Yes. The part where we all lived together.”
“Well… I can’t say I miss moments like Miu deciding to ‘upgrade’ the washing machine.”
She shuddered, “That still haunts me…”
“But…” He too looked up into the darkness. There had been plenty of moments during their studies where he could curse existence and feel so tired he barely had the energy to get up from his room, but there were also so many moments of happiness - moments he remembered much more clearly - where he had the time of his life. Laughing with everyone at the table, screaming when playing games together, their lazy movie dinner events. It was a stark contrast to the life of a detective he lived now. “We had a lot of fun too. I do miss those times of silliness.”
“I do too.”
His brow raised, staring at the pale face which was still being swallowed whole by the sky.
Kirumi rarely joined in, instead standing by the sidelines waiting to be called upon. She often prepared food, had a cleaning schedule and helped out with any other request someone might have. In that sense she truly lived with them like a maid rather than a classmate. Even with social events she quietly watched over them like a cat in a tree and only ever made herself known when fussing over idiotic moves like calls for shots.
Shuichi always thought she'd be glad to finally have their classmates out of her hair. They were childish in comparison to her, so never once had he considered she would actually miss them.
“Perhaps it might sound strange to you for me to say this, but aside from all the trouble and headaches, I can’t say I ever felt empty back then. Whether I had to help Keebo with maintenance when Miu was out of town, or act as an audience member for Kaede’s piano rehearsals or have to listen to Korekiyo lingering on and on about an ancient artifact, there was always something going on, something to look forward to. There was this sense of… community.”
He understood now.
Owning a place as large as this stemmed from the inner hope of one day filling it as their dorm used to be filled. She had put herself in a beautifully dressed void, expecting people to roll in on their own like a shop’s ‘open’ sign. But unfortunately for her, people rarely made it all the way up here and when they did, they were only there for a short time and left behind a whole different kind of emptiness.
And that also must have been why she looked so delighted to see Shuichi still here. It filled her heart, and it would be a lie to say it didn’t fill up his own the same way.
“... I apologize. I didn't mean to complain about my current life. I’m lucky, truly,” Kirumi quickly murmured with averted eyes before she went silent all together. Her heart had already laid itself exposed far too much now, her mind quickly escaping to the tea and taking a soft sip, swallowing the hurt away.
Shuichi stared into his cup, at his reflection in the light mixture. It urged him to speak up already about what heaved on his chest.
“You know… I’d hate to ask such a big favor from you, but I probably won’t be allowed back to my apartment until later this week, and even if I can return earlier the question remains how much damage was done. So I… I was wondering if it’d be okay for me to stay the rest of the week?”
It remained quiet for a bit, only the soft warm breeze gusting through the hanging lights. However, considering the soft smile which grew on her face, that silence had been filled with nothing but alleviation, “It’s a favor I would be delighted to indulge in.”
The corners of his lips automatically tugged into a smile of his own.
“But please, let us get you some new clothes first. I cannot stand the thought of you sleeping in your daytime wear. Unless you are willing to try a nightdress of mine I fear I don’t own anything which would fit your size.”
He snorted at that, “Okay, fair. … Do you think I’d look pretty with it?”
“With what? A dress?”
“Yes.”
“Mhm…” The picture amused her, her smile growing and losing its polite composure of keeping lips pressed together. “The prettiest.”
So, Shuichi stayed with her the entire week. Through the complications of insurance and what not, they - as far as Kirumi’s schedule allowed - went out shopping, made dinner together, talked about all the life events the other had missed. Even if the circumstances which led to Kirumi were anything but pleasant, it under the line made everything feel so much easier. Delighted even.
Things did end up less easy for Shuichi’s apartment, so when he had to resort to finding a new place all together he requested to stay a little longer with Kirumi.
Then when the current state of the housing market came to slap him in the face, he again asked to stay longer.
And before they both knew it, he never left.