It had been many days since Haruo got hired as the personal butler of Ena. The atmosphere was filled with tension and annoyance as he chased Ena around. She had done many things to make Haruo quit, but he would always find a counter.
They had played the role of cat — Haruo — and mouse — Ena — on the whole manor. To Haruo's surprise, she had many escape routes and spots where she almost completely lost Haruo, but his watch was inevitable in the end.
Haruo was filled with annoyance and was close to quitting his job, but hadn't. He needed the salary to keep a steady income for food and shelter. So he fought through and persisted no matter the cost.
***
Just before they had met, Haruo had just woken up from his nap. He observed his surroundings before his gaze caught a child who looked no older than six on the side of his bed.
It was his little brother, rubbing his eye; he felt the radiance of the sun entering the apartment through the window, giving them a slight warmth. They had rented a small apartment that held little furniture, but had the necessities that they needed.
His brother must have had a nightmare and crawled into his bed looking for closure.
Recently, he landed a stable job enough to provide food and shelter for both of them. The interview is later today, so he had to hurry before he was marked late by his new boss.
Taking his hand, he gently pressed it on his own shoulder; A light crack pierced through the silence after he flicked his wrist lightly. He sighed, knowing there were multiple tasks he had to do before his interview.
Haruo hopped off his bed steadily, then pushed the blanket to cover his brother. After cracking a few more bones, he made his way toward the doorknob, turning it lightly—despite that, it still made a sharp creaking sound.
But either way, he exited the room, closing the door behind him.
With each step, he got closer and closer to the kitchen.
Opening the cabinets, he took all the ingredients he found. He turned the knob of the stove, clicking with each turn.
The fire cackled as he placed a pan on top. With the two eggs he got, he cracked each of them into the side of the pan before it sizzled as it touched the pan.
The oil reacted to the egg, scattering oil everywhere throughout the kitchen. He turned away from the pan and left it to cook—Grabbing a nearby knife and a cutting board. Haruo diligently washed them, then dried them with a cloth afterwards.
Placing a cabbage on the board—Hastily cutting it with precision. He slid it aside and cut the carrots later.
***
He had wasted forty minutes in total on cooking, but as an early bird, it wasn't a problem. He still had an hour till the clock struck seven, so he used this time to be as productive as he could.
After covering the food, he proceeded to pack and tidy the place when they were ready to move out. Of course, it wouldn't be formal if he went to the interview without a bath.
But before he washed himself, he, of course, had to clean his teeth first. And what followed after was a bath, of course.
There had been little time left before his interview. He gathered and organised his thoughts, fixed his suit, and grabbed his suitcase. He went to his room, kissing his brother on the forehead, saying his farewells.
'I'll be back soon.'
He pushed the window wide open and leapt through it. His white hair gliding softly with the wind, jumping to a nearby roof.
Landing safely on the stone floor of the building, he took a glance at his watch:
6:57 AM
'It's doable.'
Haruo sprinted through the roof and leapt to another building. He maintained a stern expression as he travelled at a fascinating speed. He leapt to another building, then another, to reach his destination
But strangely, as he passed by another gap, he felt eyes watching him from below.
However, as he was running out of time, he didn't bother to look whatsoever and continued on his way.
After continuous travel, he landed on the ground near the street of a towering manor. He patted his suit lightly and walked to the large gate in the middle.
Usually, the time taken to get from his apartment to the manor was roughly an hour and a half, but he was able to cut that time to just three minutes. He had checked the time once more, and it exactly turned seven.
The guard near the gate stared at Haruo and walked out of his station.
"Do you need anything, kid?"
"I'm here for an interview. May I enter?"
The guard squinted his eyes, evaluating diligently. "Aren't you too young? Unless you have confirmation, I'm afraid I can't let you in that easily."
Haruo opened his briefcase from the ground and grabbed two pages worth of paper. He gave them to the guard to give evidence.
"Sixteen!? A kid like you should be learning in school! Where are your parents!?"
The guard tapped the paper furiously, interpreting the paper documents as fake or forged as a prank.
"If you look closely, you'll see that there's a stamp from the government confirming it's real."
He clicked his tongue, grabbing his baton on the handle to scare Haruo off, or give him a warning at least. Haruo, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed and silently observed his actions.
The guard only got even more enraged and took out his baton—pointing it at Haruo.
"Kid, if you don't leave right now, I'll mark you as trespassing, and I'll have no choice but to hit you."
Haruo remained still, taking another glance at his watch. The guard clicked his guard and rushed toward him, his baton striking down at him, whilst Haruo still had his gaze directed elsewhere.
The guard kept his baton, driving down and down. But he felt no contact whatsoever; his whole body was charged forward, while Haruo only took one step back. The guard struggled to keep his balance after attacking Haruo.
After stabilising himself, he turned his head back to Haruo. "You little brat!"
Haruo sighed and finally met his eyes; his gaze darkened the atmosphere around the guard. This shivered the guard to the core; he gritted his teeth and glared at Haruo despite his shivering.
"Don't get all arrogant just cause you got lucky once!"
The guard charged with all his might, putting all his weight on the attack. This time, it made contact with Haruo.
Haruo had grabbed the baton with his bare hand and stared down at the guard, his patience running thin. But before Haruo was able to do anything to the guard, a shout from a distance brought Haruo back to his senses.
"Enough!"
Haruo composed himself and walked to the documents that the guard dropped, picking them from the ground. The gate creaked wide open—opening for a tidy man with proper clothing, with his hair combed to his side.
"What is going on here!?" The man said, his voice absolute.
The guard hurried to fix himself and salute the man. He fixed his posture with his panicked expression.
"M-Morning S-sir!" The guard shouted.
"So, is anyone going to explain, or do you need me to jump straight to conclusions?"
The guard shook heavily as he denied.
"This kid was trespassing, sir!"
The man turned his head in Haruo's direction and observed him. Haruo bowed with his hand crossed on his heart, gesturing a humble introduction.
"I'm here for the interview."
The man's expression calmed down.
"You must be the new servant. I apologise on my worker's behalf. Please come in."
The man said with a smile, before he walked—allowing Haruo to follow his lead. Haruo bowed once again and walked just behind the man.
Haruo glanced at the nearby gardens and freshly trimmed bushes. Many servants—Trimmers, butlers, and maids—walked through the yard. Most noticed their master and stopped their task to bow at his presence.
While some were organized, Haruo noticed that there were many servants in chaos, as if they were searching for something.
"Don't mind them, something came up which caused them to be like that."
Haruo interpreted it as quite strange; however, he didn't really need to place his mind too much on it if his employer had said so.
They walked over a stone-paved trail, curving around the stone fountain, making their way to the entrance. Two more servants near them opened the door as they entered the manor.
A large, spacious room was what Haruo met after entering. At the end of the room was a wide staircase that split into two. They continue to traverse through the manor, their footsteps in sync.
"You know, when one of my servants told me that there was commotion outside the entrance, I thought someone was trespassing. Luckily, it was just you."
"I apologize for my improper behaviour."
The man chuckled slightly. "You should explain the situation first before apologising."
"The guard said that I looked too young to be working. So I showed him my documents to prove that I was the new servant. But despite my explaining and showing evidence, he still thought I was messing with him."
The man only laughed harder at the situation. He waved his hand dismissively before he said:
"I don't blame him, there aren't a lot of teenagers like you that work that early in life. Even I was surprised when I saw your application."
They had been walking for a few minutes now, and Haruo had already seen multiple paintings that hung over the blood-red walls. Then they halted; they were face-to-face with a door.
The man pushed it open, which revealed a room filled with paperwork… Well, only the desk. The rest of the room was clean and organised.
"Hold on, wait here, I need to bring someone."
The man left Haruo in the room. The door was slightly ajar, and Haruo immediately noticed and placed his briefcase on the table before he analysed the room.
The office was organized like any other, with a desk near the balcony and multiple sofas in the middle, separated by a table in the center. Haruo saw a stand on the messy desk and saw the name of the man.
'Leon Hyakagure.'
He walked to the window and saw the front yard through the glass.
Minutes passed, and Mr Hyakagure hadn't returned, until a click was heard near the door. He positioned himself next to the desk. As he saw his master's figure, he greeted him humbly.
"I greet the head."
He kept his head low and heard not just his master's footsteps but another's as well. He felt a familiar stare drilling into his soul; He wanted to see who it was but didn't dare to move an inch.
"I'd like you to meet Haruo, your new butler."
After he was introduced, he raised his head and saw a girl who had rubies for eyes, and long obsidian hair that matched his master's. She had a huntress-like attire, which matched her impulsive demeanour.
"You!?"
Her father was taken aback slightly; he had never expected Ena and Haruo to have already met beforehand. He scratched his temple for a moment, dismissing it immediately. But he was still slightly curious about how they met.
"You know each other?"
Haruo shook his head gently. "No, this is my first time meeting the mistress."
"You're that psycho who jumped from one building to another!"
Haruo then recalled the moment when he felt a person observing him despite his fast pace. He would've never expected it to be the mistress until she confirmed it herself.
"Actually, this is better. From now on, you'll be her guardian and servant. Just leave your documents here, and you can start taking care of her."
Ena slammed her hands on her father's desk, which scattered loads of paper to fly everywhere.
"I said I don't need a guardian or a servant! It's been a year since I became an adult! I can take care of myself!"
"I know, I know, but your behaviour has been quite excessive these days, and all our servants are slowly getting tired of it. Some even resigned because of your... Stunts."
"How are you sure he won't quit like the other ones you sent?"
Her dad only smiled in reply before he pushed her out of the room. She tried to overpower him, but kept sliding. Haruo followed Ena; her father shut the door as they left. She clicked her tongue and walked away from her father's office.
Haruo persisted and trailed behind his new master. She stopped for a moment before turning her head toward Haruo.
"Listen here, Albino, I don't care what my dad told you to do; you're going to either leave me alone, or I'll make you quit your job."
"I cannot, I have been ordered to keep an eye on you 24/7."
"Let's see if you can stay true to that."
After Ena said that, she sprinted through the hallways, making him lose her. Haruo only sighed and followed her, matching her speed.