The Young Lady Has Disappeared

Aptem Academy tends to hold many events after the midterm exams. Not just the ball, but there were also quite a few students looking forward to the outing that takes place after the ball.

Anyway, while the ball was a place for socializing in accordance with noble etiquette, the outing had a somewhat freer atmosphere.

The outing, which was just a more elegant way of saying picnic, was an event where they would head to tourist spots near the free city under the academy's supervision.

Although it was under the pretext of giving students a breather, this event held after the midterm exams and ball was enough to make one think, don't these academy students study at all?

In any case, if the young lady was going on an outing, I naturally had to prepare an escort, but due to the nature of academy events, servants couldn't accompany them, so I had to find a way. To be honest, it wasn't as if particularly skilled people were accompanying them, so I could just secretly follow them, but given the young lady's personality, she probably wouldn't like me tagging along.

No, wait. The current Lillian isn't the young lady, is she?

As soon as that thought occurred to me, I immediately asked Lillian if it would be okay for me to accompany her on the outing.

"Huh? The outing? Well, it's fine if you come along."

"...Really?"

"There's no reason to lie about something like this."

I was dumbfounded by this easy permission and completely scrapped my 'Outing Infiltration Operation'. Lillian tilted her head looking at me like this, but I just let out a sigh.

"But how will you come along? Servants are prohibited from accompanying academy events, right?"

"I was thinking of following from a distance."

"What's the point of that?"

"It's to prevent any possible dangerous situations as a bodyguard."

"What? There's no way such things would happen with so many people around. And here I thought you just wanted to come along for fun. Is it work again?"

I tilted my head at Lillian's expression, which seemed to say she found it ridiculous.

To be honest, this was a reaction I had seen before. In the old days, when Lillian was still a cute little young lady, she would sigh and say, "You're working again," when I tried to accompany her.

"Haah... Well, fine. I guess it'll be okay if I drag you around a bit in the middle."

"Drag me around? What on earth do you mean?"

"There are such things."

Lillian, who had been sitting on the bed with her stockings fully on, suddenly stood up. I started to dress her in her uniform. First, I put on her underwear, then the skirt. Then the shirt and blazer to complete it.

"It's done."

"Yeah. Thanks, Catherine. By the way... Um, can I ask a strange question?"

"That's fine, but..."

"Umm, so. Don't you feel embarrassed when attending to me? Mainly when giving me baths or like now when you're dressing me."

What nonsense. For a moment, such a rude thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head to dispel the thought. Perhaps misunderstanding my reaction, Lillian's face turned red.

"R-Really? I find it embarrassing... Honestly, I want to bathe alone."

"You don't even know how to wash properly."

"What do you take me for? Of course I've memorized everything by watching Catherine do it."

Hmm, certainly from a modern person's perspective, giving baths would be something to be embarrassed about. But I don't particularly have any thoughts when I see Lillian's naked body. Perhaps it would be right to say it feels like looking at a work of art.

"You're not saying this thinking it will work, are you?"

"I was thinking it would work?!"

"My answer is, of course, no. Would you please not try to take away my job?"

At my firm refusal, Lillian let out a groan.

"...Ugh, when you say it like that, it makes me feel like I'm an evil employer. I just want to reduce Catherine's trouble and my own embarrassment."

"Unfortunately, I'm not troubled at all, so the former is wrong."

"How can you not give in even a little? Besides, I'm the employer!"

I stared blankly at Lillian, who looked extremely aggrieved.

"Huh? Did you just smile a little now?"

"You must have seen wrong."

"No, I think I saw the corners of your mouth lift a bit just now! Smile again, smile!"

Hmm, the corners of my mouth. As I forcibly lifted my dead facial muscles to raise the corners of my mouth, Lillian let out a terrified sound and hurriedly grabbed both my cheeks.

"Th-That. Don't ever do that again. It's really scary!"

"Hmm, it can't be that scary..."

Honestly, it's hurtful to me if she's that scared. But Lillian shook her head vigorously and made a tearful face.

"It is scary! You already have such a fierce look...!"

Damn. Is it a problem with my appearance? I was quite pleased with being reincarnated as a beautiful girl, but this ominous hair color and eye color, and the impression that looks not just cold but even fierce, was quite a big minus.

Especially in this world with a medieval to modern setting, it was even more so.

If even I, who hardly ever go outside the Fortus family, feel this way, how are other people dealing with it? I was honestly curious. But it was a curiosity I couldn't satisfy right now, so I had to set it aside.

"Hmm, Catherine has always been really bad at smiling, even in the past."

"In the past... you say?"

"Yeah. In the past. When Catherine was 12 years old, I think. I forced you to try smiling back then, didn't I?"

I feel a sense of dissonance. Surely this Lillian shouldn't remember, so why does she remember the memories of that day?

I've never been more grateful for my dead facial muscles than now. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have been able to manage my expression at all right now.

"...That's right."

"Yeah. So Catherine... Huh? Is that not right? Why do I know this...?"

The last words seemed to be almost muttered to herself, but they clearly reached my ears. Memories she herself doesn't know. Could it be that the young lady's memories are flowing back into Lillian? Or is Lillian gradually in the process of becoming my young lady?

If it's the former, there might be some hope, but if it's the latter, it would be devastating for me. It would mean I'd have to serve someone who might not be the young lady for the rest of my life.

Until now, I've endured thinking that I could somehow bring the young lady back, but unlike the young lady, I could no longer endure life with this 'Lillian' who was unpretentious, kind, and interested in others.

Feeling as if the young lady might disappear, I slowly left Lillian's room, who was experiencing confusion in her memories. The sound of the door closing, creeak-, felt like Satan's laughter announcing the end.

* * *

I find myself utterly disgusting. I went outside, suppressing the rising nausea.

On the outside, I probably looked very calm, but right now I felt dizzy and wanted to rest.

But not that room where I should be with Lillian.

An instinctive alarm rings in me. So I staggered and arrived at a room not too far away. It was the room where Yulia was staying.

I didn't even knock, but suddenly the door opened. With no time to avoid it, I blankly stared at the door, and it came right at me, hitting my forehead.

Falling on my behind from the pain felt in my forehead, I blankly looked up. There, Yulia was looking down at me with surprised eyes.

"Kyaa?! Catherine?!"

"...Ah."

"Catherine? What's wrong? You don't look well."

"..."

How did she know? I leaned against the door for a moment and then shook my head. Yulia, who glanced at me like that, slowly supported me. I didn't reject her touch and entered the room, half-embraced in her arms.

It was my first time entering Yulia's room, but even in my dazed state, I thought it was quite a room that suited her. There weren't particularly expensive furniture or decorations, but there were reasonably practical decorations that could be obtained at low prices, and furniture that was as practical as possible without ruining the aesthetics decorating her room.

A room completely different from the young lady's room. But the small warmth felt in this room slowly calmed me down.

"Can I ask... what happened?"

"...Yes."

"Mmm. We're friends. I'm asking as a friend. What happened?"

"Yulia."

"Yes?"

Yulia looks at me, surprised by the sudden informal speech. But right now, I was here not as a maid of the Fortus family, but as Yulia's friend, as she said.

"If, if your friend suddenly changed to be like a different person, what do you think you would do?"

"...Hmm, how did they change?"

"As a person, into a much better individual."

"Well... I'm not sure. Friends end up opening their hearts to each other in proportion to the time they've built together, right?"

"..."

As I nodded strongly, Yulia looked at me and smiled gently.

"Yes. Of course, there are people who aren't like that, but usually it's like that."

Yulia, who stared at me intently while saying "people who aren't like that," continues speaking.

"Then there's no choice but to build the relationship again. Because I don't want to lose that friend."

To be honest, my question wasn't one that could get such a satisfying answer. But I just wanted to hear even superficial words. That's why I asked while trying to hide as much as possible, but Yulia somehow extracted the core from what I had hidden and answered.

"The friend Catherine mentioned is also a friend you don't want to lose, right?"

"..."

Seeing my head nod, Yulia smiled gently and laid me down on the bed. Then she lay on top of me and met my eyes.

"Yes. I'd like to become such a friend someday too, but for now, I'll give way to that friend. Fufu."

A smile different from usual, but still charming, appears on her lips. But that smile was like that of a veteran soldier who had been through thick and thin.

"Yes. Because I hope for a different ending this time."

Yulia, who muttered like that, lightly kissed my cheek. Surprised, I looked at her, and Yulia smiled her usual smile, laughed "Ahaha," and moved away from me.

This mischievous child...!