Atelier Tanaka

Ordinary Day

[Sophia-chan’s point of view]

This maid is currently flying through the sky aboard an expensive airship bound for the capital of the Penny Empire, Kalis.

I took my chance and asked Tanaka-san to allow me to come with. After I mentioned my desire to see my father, he looked sincerely apologetic and immediately agreed. He even allowed me to take several days so that I could spend time with my family.

Thanks to his kindness, I’ll have the next several days to myself without the need to worry about my usual maid duties.

I feel bad for Tanaka-san, but I have no intention of going to my parent’s home.

I have done nothing but spend the last few weeks working nonstop. I’m still at a young age, but if I allow things to continue like this, my entire life will be consumed by work and I’ll miss my chance to get married. This is the real reason I requested to travel to Kalis.

I previously said that I have no opportunities to meet any men back in Dragon City. This is not entirely true. Dragon City is an inn town after all, so many men travel through the city all the time, but these men do not stay more than a night typically. They’re the type of men looking for something called a ‘one night stand.’

Which is why I’ve come to Kalis. I hope to find a good man just like how Ester-sama found Allen-sama.

I was aimlessly wandering through the halls of the ship with these thoughts running through my mind. I think I overheard that this ship is owned by the FitzClarence family. The lavishly decorated rooms and luxurious furnishings would suggest nothing less. Such an amazing ship would naturally stimulate my sense of adventure.

Tanaka-san said it was alright for me to explore the ship as I like. If I continued living my life as nothing more than a waitress, I’d never have that chance to experience things like this. It’s a taste of the noble life. I wasn’t happy to become Tanaka-san’s maid, but it does have its benefits.

“Is this storage…?”

I was walking down some random hall in the airship.

As I continued down the way, the number of crew visible slowly diminished and the lavish decorations also gradually faded to be replaced by bare wood. This most likely leads to the cargo hold. I doubt I’ll find much worth exploring if I go any further.

“….”

Maybe I’ll just go ahead to the next corner and if there’s nothing worthwhile I can turn back.

It was around the time that I made this decision that I overheard a voice.

[Oi, g-get out of here. I was here first!]

“…everywhere else is locked up.”

[That’s not my problem! This is my spot!]

“….”

[I said get out! Hurry it up already! Get out of here!]

“….”

[Do you want me to kill you!?]

“…I don’t want to.”

[Gu…g-get out! You’re even taking up the space closest to the entrance!]

Now that I look a little closer, I can see there’s a door just ahead that’s cracked open.

The door was near the corner. There were several lined up on either side of the hall at regular intervals. Only one of them was cracked open. Is someone working inside of there?

“….”

My curiosity is getting the better of me.

What do the backrooms of a noble’s ship look like?

My body started moving on its own.

I slowly peeked into the room through the open doorway. The room appeared to be completely empty. It looked like an empty storage room. I could see crates and empty shelves lined up against the wall.

Through the light filtering in through the crack, I could make out two small figures curled up against the wall. One was pushed into the back corner while the other was closer to the entrance.

[…ah.]

I think one of them noticed me.

I heard one let out a small gasp.

[I-It’s you….]

I opened the door a little further and saw two people sitting inside.

The Dragon-san, who was supposed to stay back in Dragon City, was sitting off in a corner near the back of the room. It’s not just her either. Goggoru-san is also here sitting near the doorway, hugging her legs to her chest.

She’s also supposed to be back in Dragon City.

[Don’t say anything! D-Don’t tell him we’re here!]

“If you tell him…I’ll tell everyone what I read from your mind.”

Dragon-san glared at me with a terrifying expression.

Goggoru-san wasn’t acting any different than usual.

Still, her mind reading ability is scary.

“Um, w-what are you two….”

When I tried to ask what they were doing here, they each gave a different excuse.

[W-Why the hell does it matter to you!?]

“Your Master’s treatment of me has been unacceptable over the last few days. We’ve barely spoken at all.”

[You’re complaining about a few days? A few days!? He’s barely spoken to me in weeks!]

“…that’s because you’re unpleasant to be around.”

[What did you say!?]

“He’s agreed to talk with me regularly. It’s like a contract between us. He has to talk to me.”

[I-I’m the mayor of his town! The mayor! There’s no one more important than me!]

The two of them were on the verge of fighting.

This ship won’t last long if Goggoru-san and the Dragon-san start fighting. It would be a complete disaster. If things got that bad, it would no longer be a matter only involving Tanaka-san.

How did I get involved with these two?

“Umm, m-maybe you should be a little quieter….”

[Then get out of here already! And don’t you dare tell anyone I’m here!]

“If you tell anyone, I’ll know.”

“O-Of course!”

I’m going to put as much distance between us as possible. Tanaka-san told me that if I remain a spear’s distance away from Goggoru-san, she can’t read my thoughts. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.

Having someone know what you’re truly thinking is terrifying.

How does Tanaka-san stand being near her?

It’s hard to imagine what that must be like.

[And shut the door!]

“Y-Y-Yes, of course!”

[You better not tell anyone! I-I’m serious! Not a word!]

“…nobody.”

“Y-Yes!”

I couldn’t close the door fast enough.

It must have been my nerves that caused me to slam the door and send a loud bang through the corridor.

[S-Shut up!]

“I-I-I-I-I-I’m so sorry!”

I ran from the door as if I were being chased by a crazed killer.

Now that I think about it, I saw the Dragon-san just before I left on the airship. She came into the office making complaints along the line of, “He couldn’t be found in his office nor his room. I waited all morning and he never showed up.”

Tanaka-san was supposed to go with her to visit the new tower she built. Apparently, she was stood up and became incensed. She wouldn’t stop screaming while she was in the office.

“….”

I never saw anything.

I didn’t hear anything.

I know nothing.

I had no idea the pair of them decided to become stowaways.

Tanaka-san, I’m sure your days have been busy, but, please, make a little time for those two. A commoner like me can get by just fine on her own. You should spend time with them rather than me. Dragon City may be in peril if you don’t.

“…maybe I’ll go out on the deck.”

I don’t know what other horrifying discoveries I may make below deck, so I decided it would be best to head outside to allow my racing heart to settle. Maybe looking at the scenery will calm my nerves.

“The deck is…this way, I think.”

I’ll need to be mindful so I don’t fall off.

This brings back memories of riding on the back of the Dragon-san.

It’s a traumatic memory.

“I think the view from here should be amazing. It is a flying ship after all….”

I opened the nearby door and stepped out onto the deck.

When I stepped out into the open air, a gentle breeze brushed against my cheek. The speed the airship was travelling at should create a powerful wind that whips across the deck. However, the deck of the airship was relatively calm. I have to assume there’s a magical reason for this.

I’ve overheard people more in the know discussing how the technology behind airships has progressed leaps and bounds over recent years.

“How beautiful.”

I moved to the rail along one side of the deck and took in the amazing view.

It all looks so small.

Everything that was flying by beneath us looked miniscule from my view up in the sky.

“…amazing.”

I never thought the day would come when I would get the privilege of riding on an airship. Being a maid for a noble has been a part of my life for some time now, but I still find myself getting impressed by all the new things I experience. I really should thank Tanaka-san sometime. I never would have been able to appreciate the view from the back of the Dragon-san.

The view from the clouds cemented in my mind the scale of the world I live in.

It’s truly amazing.

How was someone like me born into a world like this?

“….”

I stood on the deck at a loss for words as I took in the view. The racing landscape took my breath away.

It took a familiar voice shouting nearby to snap me out of it.

“Oi, s-stop pushing so hard!”

“But I can’t see anything from back here!”

“I can’t get any closer! We’d get spotted!”

I noticed Ester-sama and the Elf-san pressed up against a nearby wall next to one of the doors that led to the interior of the ship. Both of them were peering around the corner of the wall and looking at something further down the deck.

“….”

I followed their gaze and spotted Tanaka-san standing alongside Drill-sama. My curiosity was piqued and, as if by instinct, my legs naturally carried me to a nearby wall where I could better overhear their conversation.

I was close enough now to hear exactly what they were saying.

“I’m here to ask for my favour.”

“What do you want?”

“I wonder if I could come with you on this trip.”

“Why would you want to come with me?”

“I have nothing better to do. I’ve used your hot springs to exhaustion and, even though it’s been a while since I’ve been to Kalis, it’s not like I haven’t been there countless times before. I want to go somewhere new and you seem like my best option to achieve that.”

“…I see.”

Tanaka-san appears to be planning a trip and Drill-sama is trying to accompany him. I heard that they were getting along. My Master and Drill-sama have a love for alcohol in common. I was even told that they drank a lot of expensive alcohol on the trip back from Academy City.

Tanaka-san appeared to agree to Drill-sama’s request.

After receiving the confirmation, Drill-sama headed back to the lower decks and seemed to be in a good mood.

Those that remained behind on the top deck were: Tanaka-san who appeared to be at a loss for words; as well as Ester-sama and the Elf-san, who each had very different reactions to the exchange.

“It’s strange for Doris to be so attached to a man.”

“Eh? I-Is that what just happened?”

“I don’t know exactly what their relationship is, but I know that Doris isn’t good around men and usually would avoid being around any.”

“She seemed to be in a good mood talking to him….”

“I think in the past, she ran off with a man she liked and he ended up abandoning her.”

“…I see.”

Ester-sama had a look on her face that said she was seeing something exceedingly rare.

The Elf-san, on the other hand, looked panicked.

“By the way, w-what about you?”

“Me?”

“That’s right.”

“…I don’t care. I-I have Allen after all.”

“….”

It’s become too awkward for me to intrude now. I expect this situation to become more complicated in the future. I honestly wish to support Ester-sama’s love, but there’s nothing I can do if she’s suffering from amnesia.

Tanaka-san has shown no indication that he plans to do anything with the information he got from Ester-sama’s diary.

“….”

This is something else I should pretend I never saw.

I’ll just hope that things will work out between Tanaka-san and Ester-sama.

I’ll just remain at a distance and hope for the best.

The length of a spear sounds good.

***