"Sister Reiko, I heard that the new tenant is really close with Haruka?"
Holding an ice pop in her mouth, Arisugawa Hoshina asked slowly.
"Yeah, they are indeed very close."
Sitting on the other side, Reiko Onodera stuck out the tip of her tongue to lick her own ice pop. The cool sensation instantly spread throughout her mouth and relaxed her entirely.
In such scorching weather, not resting for a while could easily lead to heatstroke.
Lowering her head, Arisugawa Hoshina muttered softly.
"Yes, they are really close, probably getting married in a year or two...."
Reiko Onodera looked up at the blue sky dotted with white clouds, which looked like a scene right out of an anime.
"Maybe next year, maybe the year after, maybe...."
"Oh, is that so.... Wait???"
At first, Arisugawa Hoshina responded nonchalantly, but once she realized what madam had just said, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise and disbelief as she looked up:
"Sister Reiko, what did you just say?"
Reiko Onodera smiled helplessly, seemingly anticipating Spice Girl's reaction, knowing that even though Hoshina and Haruka barely interacted on normal days, the news of a wedding would still be a shock to her.
"Yumeko is Haruka's fiancée, and they'll probably be married within the next couple of years.... You're surprised, aren't you, little Hoshina? I was also stunned when I first heard the news. But for some reason, Shimizu said..."
But by then, Arisugawa Hoshina was no longer listening; she just felt her head buzzing, wondering how things had come to this.
Weren't her only rivals supposed to be Sister Reiko and Misaki?
Since when did a fiancée come into the picture, and who might be next? Risa? Shimizu??
No way... Their already bizarre relationship dynamic, with four of them, is strange enough. Could it be that Haruka Yuzan intends to collect seven people? One for each day of the week, without any repeats??
It's simply... absurd!!
"Ah... glug, glug, glug...."
Meanwhile, Misaki Saki seemed oblivious to the conversation, cradling her cola and gulping it down. Soon, her round belly had swelled up,
Nothing is more appealing than the happy water for homebodies!!!
"By the way, Little Hoshina, have Risa and the others already gone back?"
Just then, madam seemed to remember something and asked.
They had started distributing leaflets early in the day, and times had flown by. As the weather grew hotter nearing noon, Sister Reiko suggested that they all follow her back to the villa for lunch and a midday rest.
They would continue distributing leaflets once the weather cooled down in the afternoon.
Unexpectedly, the newest waitresses had chosen to go home for lunch, making it awkward for Yaguchi Risa to follow them back to the villa. After receiving a bottle of chilled beverage, she too took her leave.
With no other choice, they let those who lived farther away go home first, while she and Hoshina and Misaki stayed to distribute leaflets a little longer.
Madam offered to keep them, but Yaguchi Risa was too shy to articulate her feelings, and even her silhouette appeared especially flustered as she went with Spice Girl to buy drinks.
"Hm? Hoshina? What's wrong? Are you suffering from heatstroke?"
Not receiving an answer, Reiko Onodera turned to look at the somewhat dazed Spice Girl, her brows filled with concern.
"Ah? No, I'm not suffering from heatstroke."
Arisugawa Hoshina snapped back to reality and quickly waved her hands dismissively, "Risa and the others have already gone back. We can just call them this afternoon when distributing leaflets."
However, madam's attention had shifted to Spice Girl's condition, "Hoshina, if you feel unwell, you have to tell me. We'll head straight back to the villa."
Although Spice Girl didn't look terrible, she wasn't doing great either. Beneath her bright makeup, her pale complexion was indiscernible, but her obvious dejection was outwardly noticeable. The whole person looked like she had lost her soul. It was hard not to worry about her....
"I'm, I'm fine; don't worry, Sister Reiko. I know my own body, don't I?"
Arisugawa Hoshina gave a wry smile.
But in the end, Reiko Onodera, concerned about Spice Girl's condition, decided to end the morning's work early and head straight back to the villa. Orıginal content can be found at NoveI[F]ire.net
"Yay!! Finally, we can go back!!"
If the chilled cola had earlier revved up the little one's energy to seventy percent, the news of going home now restored ninety percent of her vitality!!
As for the remaining ten percent... That kind of full-throttle power boost naturally required a push from Haruka Yuzan to bring her back to life!!
Misaki Saki, holding cola and leaflets, skipped along, while Spice Girl followed behind, her eyes full of resignation.
"Sister Reiko, I really am okay..."
"No, Little Hoshina. When it comes to this kind of thing, we need to take it seriously at the first sign. If you rest well, we can continue in the afternoon. But if you suffer from heatstroke, you'll feel too miserable."
Reiko Onodera, walking ahead, spoke earnestly.
Hearing this, Arisugawa Hoshina let out a bitter smile, yet her heart was filled with gratitude.
Sister Reiko was always so gentle, always considering others' feelings first. But... the more she did so, the more guilt filled Hoshina's heart...