I Don’t Want to be a Villainess

“……”

I fell into thought for a while. Shin So-hee, having spoken up, seemed tense and didn’t particularly interrupt my contemplation.

…It doesn’t seem like a bad idea, does it?

But to be blunt, even if we hire someone new, there’s no guarantee that person will definitely be on my side. More so, that person is likely to be from the Chairwoman’s side. Yang Hye-in had also suddenly been nice to me at one point, and she was originally one of the Chairwoman’s people, after all.

It’s not just the maid; everyone working in this mansion is associated with the Chairwoman. They were chosen by her.

In the midst of that, if Shin So-hee were to become my maid… Honestly, aside from the fact that it feels incredibly strange for her to suddenly want to become my maid, it’s not a bad situation at all. I mean, it’s quite good. It means that I’d have someone I can comfortably share my thoughts with right by my side.

However, I can’t just thoughtlessly bring So-hee on as a maid.

Money is not an issue. I’m not just a moderately wealthy person, my personal assets exceed 200 trillion, and I earn trillions every year. Originally, I was considering spending 15 trillion to defend against the Chairwoman’s attack. Spending tens of millions a year isn’t hard at all. After all, Yang Hye-in’s salary was 500 million a year.

The problem lies elsewhere.

“Sohee.”

As I called her by name, So-hee, who had her head slightly bowed, suddenly perked up with surprise.

“…Did you tell your family?”

“…Um…”

Seeing her hesitation, I once again placed my hand on my forehead.

Right, high school students can work part-time. There are restrictions on the type of jobs, but still. That said, parental consent is essential. After all, minors are minors.

I’ll have to look into the legal aspect of minors working as maids, but even if it’s possible, there’s another critical issue: ‘working hours.’

Of course, working hours apply to adults too. I don’t recall the exact number of hours, but I understand that exceeding a certain amount in a week, even if you get paid, can lead to a warning from the labor department. I think I saw that in a documentary related to the Emergency Room once.

And when it comes to minors, it gets even stricter; they’re outright banned from working a set number of hours. Even if being a maid could be permissible, they can’t work 24 hours like Yang Hye-in, always by my side. In fact, Yang Hye-in could’ve reported her working hours if she had chosen to do so.

Honestly, debating whether it’s legal or illegal is secondary; naturally, the parents… in So-hee’s case, her father, ought to be informed. It’s not just a matter of saying I’m going to work; it’s about her working as a maid in a wealthy house, essentially living and sleeping there without their consent, which wouldn’t be right.

Seeing So-hee avoid my gaze, it seemed likely she had blurted this out impulsively without much thought.

…What was she thinking?

Could it be that Yang Hye-in really showed her that will or whatever it is?

Well, I guess I’ll find out in due time.

I put my legs up on the bed, settling into a cross-legged position.

“Bring a chair and sit here.”

As I gestured for her to come over, So-hee nodded and quickly moved to pull a chair to sit in front of me. Judging by how neatly she sat in what seemed like a demure pose, it appeared she genuinely wanted to become my maid.

Though it was a bit mismatched with her demure posture, she was wearing training clothes.

“Well, fine. I’m for giving work to someone I know. Honestly, having someone I’m familiar with handle the work makes it easier for me.”

“Right, right.”

So-hee nodded fervently in agreement. Even though she was much taller than me, her behavior made her seem a bit like a puppy, which was cute. Then again, she is nearly ten years younger than me if you consider our ages.

“But still, I can’t just have you take on that kind of work without getting your family’s approval.”

Now that I think about it, she has a younger sister. I can’t remember how old exactly, but in the game, she seemed to be an elementary school student. Though she hadn’t appeared as a CG character, her dialogue was always so innocent.

It would leave a significant gap if So-hee were to leave her father alone at home. He would need someone to take care of his young daughter while he was working. For all intents and purposes, leaving a child at home alone isn’t quite right.

“……”

So-hee bowed her head at my words.

“If you get permission from your family, I’ll reconsider.”

As I said that, So-hee lifted her head.

…I expected her face to look disappointed, but it was quite the opposite. So-hee’s expression was… how should I put it? Perhaps it resembled that of someone who was ‘moved.’ You know, like those touching scenes in movies when a family reunites or when the protagonist finds their lost dog? That’s the kind of look she had.

I couldn’t quite understand why she was making that expression.

And the next moment, my vision was suddenly filled with her golden hair.

“Uh-huh?”

So-hee, who had been looking at me, suddenly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“What, what’s going on?”

Reconsidering, I realized, she had hugged me a few times already. Mostly in a way where she pressed her face against my chest. There were times when I accidentally buried my nose in her bosom or she would take the initiative to hug me. But anyway, it had happened.

However, the reason I was so flustered this time was… this hug felt, well, ‘normal.’ No, I’m not even sure how to articulate what I mean.

In any case, that’s just how it felt.

So-hee didn’t respond to my words and suddenly pulled away with that same jerk.

Her face, filling my view, wore an expression of determination like she had made up her mind about something.

“Then, I’ll get their approval. If I get it, will you accept me?”

“Uh? Um… Sure?”

To be honest, debating the legality of this now doesn’t hold much value. All the servants currently in this mansion are practically involved in child abuse, so what legal matters are we really talking about?

And anyway, if working hours are an issue, it’s just a matter of having her wear a maid outfit for a few hours a day. The rest of the time can be considered as simply living here.

“Then I’ll go get their permission!”

So-hee seemed overjoyed, abruptly standing up from her seat. Then she immediately turned on her heels—

And dashed into the bathroom attached to this room.

Uh, yeah, sure. That works, I suppose.

It’s okay to get permission from her dad over the phone anyway, huh.

…But, would he really give her permission for that?

*

“Dad!”

As soon as her father picked up the phone, So-hee shouted in an eager voice.

[Uh? What’s up, sweetheart?]

Startled by the sudden shouting from his daughter, he stammered a little in surprise.

“I….”

So-hee hesitated and glanced at the bathroom door. Last time, she had heard Sara showering, so she was worried that if she spoke too loudly, everyone outside might overhear.

“I… have someone I like.”

[Oh, really…? What?]

Her dad momentarily struggled to find words, sounding astonished.

[What? Really? Our daughter? Has someone she likes?]

For a moment, the line went silent before he burst into hearty laughter.

[Oh wow, who is this person? If our daughter likes them, they must be quite something! ]

“Um, yeah. They’re really amazing. And cute.”

[Well, our daughter does tend to have high standards. So? Are you dating this person?]

“Uh… no…?”

With that, So-hee’s expression began to falter, as she resembled someone who might have been missing a beat despite having been laughing up to that point.

[Then it’s still just puppy love, huh? How adorable!]

Ha ha, his hearty laughter came through again. Considering the sound of the car driving indicates that he was on his way back home, his daughter had been enjoying an outing with her sister earlier in the day, perhaps.

“Uh, no. Not like that.”

[Hmm?]

The phone suddenly went quiet.

[A, um, are you in love with this person?]

“Uh… for now?”

[What kind of… cough.]

Suddenly interrupted by a fit of coughing, he cleared his throat, composing himself.

[What kind of guy could stir our daughter’s heart so much?]

“It’s a student from another school… sort of, I’m actually at their house right now.”

[What?]

“I was just here for a little work.”

[…What kind of work?]

“Uhm, uh, well, I just wanted to have a private chat with them….”

[Wait, wait. Hold on.]

Her father interrupted her in the middle of her sentence. Then he was quiet for a moment, starting to sort out what So-hee had just said.

[So, you just said you have someone you like, and that it’s a student from another school, and now you’re at their house to have a private chat, right?]

To be fair, it wasn’t strictly ‘private’ since other maids were around. As long as they weren’t focusing on me, it was essentially just the two of us…

[Where are you calling from?]

“Uh, me? I’m in the bathroom.”

[In the bathroom, huh.]

For some reason, her dad’s tone turned oddly contemplative.

“Oh, by the way. I need to ask for your permission about something.”

[Oh, really? What is it, sweetheart?]

For some reason, her dad suddenly sounded far more composed than earlier. So-hee thought it was a bit strange, but since she had to ask for permission as Sara suggested, she decided to continue. It might even be the best time to ask since he seemed more level-headed then.

“I want to work at this person’s house.”

[So, you want to work at the house of the person you like, huh?]

Huh?

No, saying I wanted to work there sounded a bit off.

“I mean, I would like to do it continuously from now on—”

[Sweetheart.]

“Uh-huh?”

[What’s the address of that house?]

“Uh? This one? Ah, I don’t know the exact address, but it’s the place I mentioned I stayed last time.”

[…That wealthy friend?]

“Y-yeah, that’s right.”

In reality, the amount of money didn’t really pertain to the request I was making, but that was the truth nonetheless. Sara’s wealth was indeed considerable, both relatively and absolutely.

“So, I was saying that I’d like to work here and earn money—”

[Sweetheart.]

“Y-yes?”

[What’s the exact address? I can’t recall,]

“Ah, here, probably if you search for Matsuda Department Store, it should pop up.”

[Got it. I’ll be there soon. Just stay put and don’t do anything.]

And then the line disconnected.

……

What was that?

It sounded like her dad got a bit upset just now at the end there.

Did I say something wrong? So-hee found herself deep in thought.

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