12. Gentle now, please?

Taika and I left the unpleasant shower and vowed not to talk about it. Naturally I would never speak of what happened, but I honestly didn’t trust Taika’s vow. He is and always will be a wild card. That being said, Miya was almost guaranteed to learn about it from the maid even if Taika didn’t let it slip. I wasn’t going to humor a thought of the suggestive photos. Please, I beg the lord and savior that is Miya, please do not show Juliet.

Taika ran off to find some food and I wandered up the stairs to the upper level where Miya was observing everyone. As I approached her, she made an elegant and charming turn. I coughed nervously. “Uhm— ” I felt my cheeks flush. As annoying as she was, when Miya chose not to berate you or turn psychotic, she was beautiful and I couldn’t get rid of that naïve nervousness.

“You look...uhm, wow.” I forgot what I was going to say, damn it.

Miya peered through me in the way only she could. “I see, you have gotten very comfortable already.”

I was still nervous, what about me was comfortable? I looked down at myself. “Well...” Maybe I would bring it up. Out of curiosity.

“That maid of yours, the blonde one.”

“Blonde maid…?”

“She played a prank on Taika and I, and…”

Miya chuckled softly. “I see.”

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing, just Whitehouse. I didn’t think she’d continue her little game with so many guests. The person you called a maid.”

“Is she not a maid?”

“Not officially. No.” Miya looked back down at the guests. “The reason you approached me was just that?”

“Just to tell you she was messing with us. But I guess you’re fine with that.”

“I’m tempted to encourage it. But that’ll cause me trouble down the road. As I will end up the butt of more jokes. She can have a vicious sense of humor. No matter…” Miya trailed off.

“Alright.”

“Try not to pay her much mind.”

“What about you, are you having fun?”

“I don’t have fun.”

“Why not?”

“...It’s complicated,” Miya paused briefly, apparently lost in thought, “I’m going to borrow you for a moment.” She snapped her fingers at that point. And the maid, Whitehouse appeared.

Eh! The demon woman was back. Why is Miya surrounded by dangerous individuals!

“Whitehouse, take the boy and change him. Meet in the west wing.” With that Miya took off and left me to my ill fate.

Whitehouse grinned, then placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hello again, boy.” Why was this woman so tall! Where were the adults that weren’t predatory?

“Wait...wait, where are you taking me!” I tried to escape, it was no use. I was carried off, like a prize woman to a viking. Never to see my home again, I was certain. Or something like that. “Help, someone, anyone, even Taika at this point!”

“For the record,” Whitehouse said with an amused chuckle, “I prefer when you struggle.”

Elsewhere in the manor, Taika wanders

Taika was seated on a chair piling bacon bites into his mouth, munching satisfyingly as he watched his friend Elias get thrown over the shoulder of the scary Maid that had just caught them during their shower. As Elias wailed, asking for help Taika popped another bite into his mouth and felt painfully satisfied. Painful because he had eaten too much again, but satisfied from the bacon.

Taika stood up and clapped his hands together. “Alright then.”

Taika scanned the room and took note of everyone. Ayase and Iki were still on their computers, far too distant from one another. Juliet was playfully chatting with the twins. Shu was walking back and forth, trying to not act suspicious as he took photos. Not that Miya would care, Taika assumed.

Taika whistled, and headed towards Iki, plopped down next to him and peered onto his screen. Iki glanced at Taika and then turned his body so that Taika was unable to see.

“What’cha doin?” Taika asked.

“...” Iki remained quiet.

Taika nodded. “Want me to give Ayase your present? She wouldn’t take it from you because she’s nervous, but you never know with me.”

Iki stopped typing for a solid five seconds. Taika took note of that. But then his tapping continued, unpersuaded.

Taika stood up and stretched and then wandered over to Ayase and sat down. “Yo!”

Ayase peered up, then frowned. “What?”

“Why didn’t you take Iki’s present?”

“You heard why, idiot.” Ayase went back to her tapping.

“If you ask me, you two are pretty alike,” Taika continued.

“Makes no difference to me whether we are or are not similar. I am me, and he is he.”

“Right…” Taika thought for a second. “Theoretically, would you say he’s cute?”

Ayase paused for two seconds, peered up again, and then glared harshly.

Taika smiled and put his hands up defensively. “Got it!” He stood up and left.

Feeling content Taika made his way to the twins that were hanging out with Juliet. Taika flung his arms around Juliet and smiled widely. “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

“Wouldn’t that be my line, Taika?” Juliet tilted her head to look at Taika’s which rested on her shoulder.

“Juliet, this is the modern era. You can’t force me to conform to your stereotypes…” he let go of Juliet and frowned disapprovingly.

“Hey, you’re that weird kid that hangs around Miya. Are you even her friend?” Natalie, the short haired twin asked. Her blue eyes were watching Taika suspiciously.

“Hm? I like to think so. But Miya would never admit it, she’s shy.”

Melanie laughed softly. “I think he’s funny, not weird, Nat.”

“Don’t give him that much credit.”

“I have a question for you two, why did you abandon your Queen?”

“We...we didn’t!” Melanie shook her head defensively. “It’s just...we love Alice but…”

“Alice is a total bitch sometimes. We grew up with her. She’ll be fine spending a night or two alone,” Natalie interrupted.

“Don’t say that Nat, she’s our friend!”

“That makes us live under her iron grip! She’s our friend, not our boss. We wanted to spend the night at this fancy house. I wasn’t going to let her stop us.”

“Don’t you let her stop you all the other times?” Taika smirked.

“Smart ass,” Natalie cringed, but sighed afterwards. “Sometimes she gets out of hand. But, unfortunately she’s still our friend and we respect her because of our history.”

“Alice is a good person! Just, territorial…” Melanie sighed now.

“I like to think that Alice will come around.” Juliet smiled as she often did. “I have faith that she’ll show up tonight.”

“She’s too prideful for that,” Natalie rejected Juliet’s idea.

“You think?”

“We know,” they both said in unison.

“By the way, where’s your best friend, the other idiot,” Nat asked about Elias.

Melanie slapped Natalie’s shoulder. “I think Elias is a cutie.”

Juliet blushed. Her interest appeared perked. “You think he’s cute?”
“Why does it matter?” Taika looked at Juliet and spoke in Japanese, “Do you like him?”

“No, it’s not that!”

“We speak Japanese,” Nat shot back in Japanese herself.

“Alice has been our friend since we were babies,” Melanie said after.

“Eh!”

“You have a crush on Elias?” Melanie asked Juliet, “I’d never try to steal him. I just think he’s cute. I promise, he’s all yours!”

Juliet turned bright red. Even her ears. “It’s...it’s, not...like, that…”

Taika yawned. “Guess that means I’ll go take a nap.”

“It’s like six.”

“Nap time!”

Taika wandered off. With more information than he asked for.

With Elias, in a bedroom

“Get naked.”

“No!” Elias protested, “You can’t just tell me to get naked.”

“Get naked, or I’ll tear your clothes off.”

“Fine! Can you just turn around or something.”

“I need measurements.”

“This is sexual harassment!”

“I’ll sexually harass you if you don’t quit your complaining, and I can’t promise a finger or two won’t slip while I undress you.”

Many people might think this is a fantasy. Whitehouse was a good looking woman. But the terror I felt far outweighed my boyhood fantasies at the moment.

I took off my shirt. “This fine?”

“All the way.”

“All the way!”

She cracked her knuckles. Reluctantly I took off my shorts and felt all of my pride dissipate into nothingness. Suddenly I felt incredibly shameful, and had all the sympathy in the world for women that were aggressively pursued and put into these compromising situations.

Whitehouse began to take measurements. “Ahem, what a joke. A beautiful girl asks you to strip and you cower in fear...oh, I get it. You’re into…that boy you were with?”

“It’s—not like that! He’s just a friend! And for the record, you’re scary.”

“But I’m hot, do you want me to strip with you? ” She then tugged at her apron and removed it. Afterwards, she proceeded to remove her maid outfit. I must have turned a neon red and turned my head, staring awkwardly at the wall.

“This is not helping, this is making things worse! And you being attractive or unattractive obviously has nothing to do with it!”

“You’re so prudish…”

“I’m only in high school, there are laws against this!”

“The only laws in this domain are Miya’s, and this would have been over already if you stopped fussing!” Whitehouse said irritatedly.

“Can’t I just wear what you want me too, this is getting a bit much. You’ve made your point!”

When I opened up an eye, Whitehouse was in her underwear, they were black and lacey. The contrast with her pale white skin blew my mind. I almost died right there. What the fuck was going on? Then she draped her arms around me and I felt her breasts press against my back. This is it, I die now.

Whitehouse whispered into my ear. “I’ll show you a whole new world.”

The door shot open at that moment, as Miya entered shouting, “What is taking so Goddamn lon–”

I fell over at that point. “Miya wait! I didn’t do it! She’s assaulting me, help!”

Miya blinked a couple times, then turned her head awkwardly, “I’ll come back later.” Then she left quickly, obviously embarrassed.

“No, Master Miya! My heart is only for you!” Whitehouse tried to stop her but it was too late as the door shut.

Whitehouse scoffed angrily, “Look what you’ve done!” She walked up and gave me a smack upside the head.

“Ow!”

She then headed towards a closet and pulled out a suit, placing it on the bed. “Put this on, you animal. And put away your yearning manhood.”

“WHAT! I didn’t do any of this!”

I put on the suit as swiftly as possible. I refused to be naked in front of her any longer. Whitehouse changed as well and I was glad to have clothes on the both of us. It was too painfully awkward otherwise.

“Why does this suit feel like I’m wearing bricks?”

“Because it’s bullet resistant.”

I looked at her dumbfounded. “...Why, is it bullet resistant?”

“So if you get shot, you don’t die? Why else would someone have bullet resistant clothing?”

“I understand the technical purpose, I’m wondering why the hell I AM wearing it, am I about to get shot?”

“Do you always bitch this much?”

“I think I bitch the proper amount,” I threw my hands in the air defeated, “Given the circumstances.”

“You want me to shoot you?” She threatened.

“No, I don’t want to get shot at all, or even better, I don’t want to be put in a situation where it’s a possibility either!”

She started to drag me yet again. “Where are we going?!”

Whitehouse twitched angrily. “Be quiet.”

We made our way to Miya and Whitehouse pushed me forward. “Take him before I kill him.”

“Easy there, can’t have you killing my guests.”

“Miya what the hell is going on?” Please answer damn you.

“Well, I just saved your life.”

“And I appreciate that.”

I’d appreciate it more...if you weren’t also the cause of me almost dying in the first

place, woman.

Whitehouse was told to leave at that point and as hot as she was, I was more than happy to see her gone. I thought I would be traumatized for life from then on.

“Can you explain what’s going on, instead of ignoring me?”

“But it’s so much more fun this way.”