Chapter Text
Mai sat on her bed, gazing dully at her maid outfit. She’d become a maid, worked for Hahari.. Just for her dear sister to date that stupid boy! She quickly got dressed and made her way to the hallway. She spotted Mei there as well, and she immediately felt giddy. Oh, how she looked up to Mei.. Mai knew that Mei had been tricked. Similar to Hakari and Hahari. That Rentarou boy was no good, and she knew it. It was obvious that he had terrible intentions. 19 other girlfriends! It was ridiculous. Mei deserved much better. Someone like Mai!
Mai began to clean the windows in the hallway. She stared at Mei as she worked, admiring how flawless her dear sister was. After a minute, Mei turned back to her. My dear sister is going to compliment my work! “Mai, you’re scrubbing the curtains.” Mei pointed out, “Please work seriously.” The comment made Mai wince in embarrassment. She was naturally a clumsy maid. But this time it was because she was preoccupied with admiring Mei! Who could blame her? Mai cleared her throat and looked back at her work. The curtain was covered in soap.
Mei approached Mai, taking the soap and cloth from her hands. “I shall clean this up. Organize the kitchen table for the Hanazonos' lunch,” Mei ordered. She was such a great maid and sister! Offering to help Mai. Rentarou didn’t deserve her kind personality! Mai nodded and began to walk away, slipping on the soap that must’ve fallen onto the floor. Luckily she was caught by Mei, who helped her back up. “Thank you, my dear sister!” Mai said, feeling flustered, before making her way to the kitchen.
Mai felt sad to not be in the same room as Mei anymore, but she focused on her work. She cleared the table before placing down plates and cutlery. After finishing successfully, Mai decided to work on the garden. While watering the flowers and polishing the pots, something shiny and white caught her attention. Mai turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of what she saw. It was probably the cat. Mai figured before continuing. Mai glanced at a flower that Mei had planted. Hahari had asked her to plant it, years ago. It’s beautiful, just like my dear sister. Mai thought to herself, taking extra care while watering it.
Mai finished, but found herself not wanting to look away from the flower. She noticed something in the corner of her eye again, and hesitated. Maybe the cat wanted company. Mai looked to the side, seeing a small white object that reflected the sunlight. It looked like a gem. Surprised it wasn’t the cat, Mai cautiously picked it up. It glowed almost abnormally. Mai poked it, feeling its smooth surface. I should give it to Mei. It would be a gift.
Mei held onto it and made her way back into the house, and into the same hallway she’d messed up in. Mei wasn’t there, causing Mai to sigh. But it made sense. Mei was so quick and efficient in her work! There wasn’t even evidence that the curtain had been covered in soap. It still had been an embarrassing mistake to make in front of Mei, of course. She wanted to be the best maid as possible in front of her dear sister. If only I could redo that mistake, and go back to this morning.. But it was a fruitless thought. She’d messed up several times before, this time was no different.
Before Mai could move to find Mei, she felt the whole world spin. It was over in the blink of an eye, but Mai still felt dizzy. She focused her eyes to find herself still.. Cleaning the window? But that had already happened! She turned to the side and Mei was still standing there. Mai shook the uncomfortable feeling away and finished cleaning properly. Mai rushed to her room right after. She sat on her bed and picked up her phone, looking at the time. It was only a few minutes after she’d left for work? That couldn’t be right. Mai felt something in her pocket, and she took it out to see the same gem as before.
Mai got up and hurried to the dining room. It wasn’t organized. Her work had been.. Undone? That wasn’t possible. She felt very unsettled. Something was wrong. Mai decided to not tidy the table, and walked into the garden. The pots weren’t freshly cleaned, and the flowers didn’t seem watered. I swear I did them. Mai looked at the gem, again. This was almost as annoying as the day she'd found out Mei was dating Rentarou.
It happened again. The world began to spin, and Mai found herself standing in Hakari’s room. She felt the gem in her pocket, and a duster in her hand. She looked around, hesitating. Did she just teleport? She noticed Hakari sitting on her bed, looking down at her phone with a bright smile. Puzzled, she decided to communicate with her mistress’ daughter. “You look happy, miss. What happened?”
Hakari looked up, as if surprised to hear Mai speak suddenly. “Mei hasn’t told you? She’s dating Rentarou now!” The pink-haired girl answered, smiling. Mai blinked. “Hasn’t she been dating him for awhile now?” She questioned. Hakari chuckled, as if Mai had made some funny joke. “Me and Mother have been. Mei started today,” she informed, “I bet it’s confusing since all three of us are with him, huh?”
Mai didn’t answer. She stared at the gem, getting an idea. It was unrealistic, but.. The day I met Mei. She thought to herself, closing her eyes. It worked. The world spun again, leaving Mai feeling sick. She looked around, realizing that she was younger. She had puny hands, and felt shorter. She was beside her grandmother, and saw her. Mei was working, cleaning the house. Mai gasped, feeling the same burst of joy as when she first met her dear sister. But.. she also could guess what the gem did now. It could obviously be a dangerous artifact. Perhaps she could give it to Mei, or her mistress? It might even be better to destroy it completely.
Mai glanced down at it, and her eyes widened as she got an idea. She clutched the gem to her chest, knowing exactly what she wanted. The day Mei fell for Rentarou. Mai opened her eyes, slightly more used to the dizzying feeling, to find herself in her room. She grabbed a small purse and put the gem in there. Remembering that Mei and Rentarou had met at the school, she ran there. It was awkward since she was in maid attire, but she made it. She’d try and figure out how to manipulate the location as well as the time next.
Mai began on her way to the library, but stopped as Hahari spotted her. “Mistress, I wanted to accompany you to work today,” Mai explained, bowing respectfully. It would be all right, Hahari wasn’t the type to be harsh with her maids. When Hahari nodded her permission, Mai smiled politely and entered the library. A nice, quiet place to stay.
She reached into her purse, realizing her phone was in there too. She grabbed it and turned it on. She narrowed her eyes after reading the date. This was the past. She waited until after school hours to make her way to the school roof. She made sure she was out of view, watching the scene unfold. I must be careful not to interfere. In case this affects the future. Mai forced back her emotions as Mei opened her eyes for him of all people. Her dear sister started blushing, and those other girls began to ask if Mei had just fallen for him.
That was painful to watch. Mai found herself scowling, leaning towards the scene. That’s when Hakari noticed her. Hakari looked confused, and realising her cover was blown, Mai quickly clutched the gem harder. The morning I found the gem.
Mai found herself back in the present. She ran through the hallway, ignoring Mei, and entered Hakari’s room. The girl looked up curiously. “Is something the matter, Mai?” Hakari asked. Mai considered how she’d word it, before replying. “When Mei fell for Rentarou.. Was I there?” Hakari looked more confused, and paused before answering, “You were. Why ask that? It’s been so long! Have you lost your memories?” Hakari chuckled after her comment, while Mai simply smiled. This wasn’t how it had gone before. She hadn’t been there in that moment. This meant she could affect the future.
Which also meant..
I can save Mei from Rentarou.