“Nothing happened.”

  “Master doesn’t need to explain himself to me,” Kiera responded.

  “I mean it.” I reached out, just stopping before I grabbed Kiera and pulled back. “I didn’t do anything. Gabriella is like an aunt or a mother to me.”

  Kiera looked down, her cheeks turning pink. “I also mean what I say, Master. I’m not upset. Whatever Master wishes to do, I will not think anything different of Master.”

  By the time she finished, she was looking me back in the eye. This time I broke away, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.

  “Look, I’m heading back to the apoc… ahem… I’m heading back to the Ascension headquarters. I need you to return with me for a bit.”

  “I will go wherever Master wants.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it again. I had a lot to say, but I wasn’t sure how to say it.

  “You like being here, right?” I asked.

  Kiera’s face flushed again. “I do. I’m learning a lot. I’ve become better at cleaning and cooking. Gabriella has even taught me a little bit of first aid. However, I also miss Master.”

  I lowered my head for a second. If I didn’t know that there were things in that world that I needed to be rich and successful here, then I would be tempted never to return. Of course, there was also Katarina, Raven, and the rest who had come to depend on me. I didn’t want to leave them hanging either. It was a difficult situation, and I didn’t feel great forcing Kiera to return to it. I’d feel the same way if I could bring the other girls into this world. That was part of the reason my next mission was so important.

  “I’m going to bring you right back,” I explained.

  There were a couple of reasons I needed to bring her to ascension. First off, she had suddenly disappeared, and everyone else there didn’t know where she was. She needed to show her face for at least a little bit, which would make things useful in the future. Secondly, I needed to reset her code. I wasn’t confident that the code would store indefinitely, so it was best to reset it once in a while.

  “You will?” She asked, looking at me through her long blonde hair.

  “I promise.” I nodded.

  “Okay.” She put out her hand. “I’m ready.”

  “Ahhh, we’re not leaving here.” I coughed.

  “Oh.” Her cheeks turned red.

  I reached out and took her hand, and she followed behind me with her head lowered. I left Gabriella to pass out in her drunken state. Kiera had a full job taking care of Gabriella. She worked long hours at the hospital and when she got home, she was usually making a mess. After making sure Gabriella’s place was locked up, I called a ride share to my place. It wasn’t until the security guard who was sitting in the lobby gave me a knowing smirk that I realized how things looked.

  It was late in the night now, passed any reasonable time someone would be up, and I was bringing a girl back to my apartment who was wearing a cosplay maid outfit. It would be odder to think that we weren’t intending to get up to some shenanigans, especially given the shy look she showed the world around her.

  We rode the elevator up to my room in silence. I could hear my heartbeat thudding in my ears the entire time. I didn’t know why I was reacting that way. I was just taking a girl back to my place. Sure, it was something I had never done intentionally before, but it didn’t happen to mean anything. Except, she was wearing a maid outfit, and she was technically my slave, who would do anything I asked her to do. Why couldn’t it have been Katrina or Raven? They were two girls who were very clear about their wants.

  Ding!

  The elevator door opened, and I nearly stumbled out into my entryway. I didn’t need Cecelia’s belayed warning to realize that someone was present.

  “Who’s there?” I prepared to summon the knife in an instant.

  “Daniel?” A girl who had been sitting at the table stood up as the automatic lighting turned on.

  “Mizuki?” I asked incredulously.

  I thought this place was secure! That mysterious guy had managed to slip documents into my place without me knowing. Mizuki’s mom had also managed to enter the place. Now, Mizuki herself appeared. Were my locks made out of swiss cheese? The security guards knowing smile must have been more than the thought of me bringing home a girl at night. He must have known I had company up here and was just waiting to enjoy the show.

  That’s when I recalled Kiera. She looked out from behind me, and Mizuki’s mindful eyes snapped to her. “Who is she?”

  I cringed a little. “Don’t toy with me Mizuki. We both know you know who she is.”

  Mizuki at least had the mindfulness to look embarrassed for a moment. “Sorry, it’s a family habit. I do know your friend Gabriella randomly found this woman named Kiera and has been taking care of her. However, I have not been able to find her identity anywhere. It’s like she appeared from thin air.”

  Kiera gave a small gasp, reaching out and grabbing my sleeve. In her mind, we were in my colony. We just lived in some dome untouched by the apocalypse and everything she experienced here was merely the product of the technology that existed within those colonies being taken to the extreme. Kiera had been a simple farmer’s daughter and then a slave. Her knowledge, even of her world, was extremely thin, and it was probably the only reason she hadn’t caused more of a splash after being found out in my world.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  She believed that she was a trespasser that I snuck into my colony, and if her true identity was discovered, she could be thrown away. Just by her holding on to me, I could feel the worry being transported through her touch. On the other side, Mizuki was staring at her hand touching me, her lips thin.

  “You don’t need to know everything, Mizuki,” I responded.

  “You still call me Mizuki… you can call me by my first name,” She spoke quietly, and then sniffed while turning away toward Kiera. “Can I at least know why you’re bringing her to your place late at night while wearing this… getup?”

  “That’s also something you don’t need to know about,” I responded. “As for why she wears what she wears, that’s on her.”

  “I am master’s servant.” Kiera spoke up quietly, not meeting Mizuki’s eye, “I looked online. Isn’t this what… maids wear here?”

  Mizuki seemed taken aback for a second. “A servant?”

  “M-master… this is a maid outfit, isn’t it?” She was tugging on my shirt, looking at me tearfully. “Did I mess up?”

  “Ah, it’s not that you messed up.” Mizuki broke in, looking slightly flustered. “I have many maids that wear… something similar. It’s just, a bit more refined than that Halloween outfit.”

  “Eh? But Gabriella said she liked the way I looked in it?”

  “Gabriella’s a sexually-confused lesbian!” I cried out and then coughed when both girls glanced back at me.

  Mizuki let out a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. “So, it was that, after all. If Daniel was less secretive, I wouldn’t be worried all the time.”

  I couldn’t help but stare with a gaping mouth at those words. I might be secretive, but wasn’t Mizuki a bit pushy? She had me and my family investigated by PIs. She wanted to invade my business, and she had little reason to get involved, especially now that she had her meds.

  “Ah, that’s right… your illness.” I spoke out suddenly.

  She smiled and then twirled. It was the first time I realized she was wearing a summer dress. It still had the stamp of wealth but was far more casual than what I usually saw her in.

  “I’m better now. No pain. Full remission. That’s what the doctors say. They’re baffled.”

  I straightened at her smile. It seemed genuine, something that felt rare when dealing with her.

  “What a miracle.” I forced myself to give a flat response.

  She gave me a knowing look. “All it took was a kiss from my prince.”

  “A kiss?” Kiera asked.

  “Nevermind that.” I coughed, heading to the drink bar. “Did you come here to talk about the business? Is your dad even going to allow you to help me? Either way, I won’t be able to tell you anything until next week. A drink?”

  As I spoke, I started to mix up a drink. I had only remembered a few of them I had casually looked up since speaking to Mizuki’s mom.

  “Tsk… mom has already gotten to you.” She looked at me mixing the drink unhappily. “You’re right, dad has kept my account frozen. I’ve been on house arrest since my unexpected recovery. It took everything I had to manage to come here tonight, but it appears mom has already beaten me.”

  “Your mom?” I very nearly spilled the drink, just catching myself.

  “I know she came here.” Mizuki huffed. “That’s why I had to come myself. She invited you to dinner, right?”

  I thought about lying, but there didn’t seem to be a reason to make things up. “She did.”

  “Don’t go.”

  I blinked, turning back to her. “What?”

  “I… can’t explain everything.” She looked away. “It’s a trap. Mom and Dad, love me, but they can be vicious to those they perceive as a threat. I will do my best to free up and get your business going, but in the meantime, don’t let yourself play into their games.”

  “Fine,” I responded, swallowing back the drink. “I won’t go.”

  “Really?” She seemed surprised I had agreed so readily.

  “Really,” I responded, making a bitter face toward the pungent alcohol I wasn’t used to drinking. “Is that everything?”

  “Um… yes.” She responded, looking over at Kiera one more time. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

  “Then, I’ll take your advice. You probably should get back before they start missing you.”

  “Right.” She pushed her fingers together. “I should go.”

  She looked between us one more time before heading for the elevator. Just as she reached it, I spoke again.

  “Just so you know, I’ll be gone the next week. If you try to contact me…”

  “I… understand.” She nodded as the elevator opened and she stepped into it. “Goodbye, Daniel.”

  The door closed in front of her, and I put the class I was drinking down. I didn’t know why I acted so dismissive of her. She had built up some fantasy in her mind about my true origins. If she found out the truth, I had a feeling she’d lose all interest, or maybe even want to try to take this technology from me. That made me a bit melancholy and made it so I didn’t want to get closer to her.

  “Goodbye, Kurumi.”