"Urgh..." you groaned as the male held you to the ground, uncomfortably pressed into the wooden floor. "What do you want from me? I was just minding my own business."

"I don't think so, little Yokai ," the smooth voice from before said by your ear. "You're going to tell me exactly what you planned to do with that bottle of Fugu fish venom."

"And why should I tell you?" you snarled before wincing as he wrenched your arm back.

"Well, I could just rip you limb from limb and kill you, but I think you might be more useful alive, so I'll try to ask nicely once again... Who were you planning to poison?"

"Fuck off," you spat before groaning in agony as the man pulled at your arm.

"Little Yokai, don't test my patience."

"Just kill me, you bastard! I'd rather die than become the toy of the mafia!"

"Mafia?" the man asked, his grip loosening enough that it was no longer painful, sounding genuinely baffled.

"Don't play dumb! I know that kid was the leader of you all!"

"I can assure you that my young master is not a part of either the Chinese or Italian mafias," the man remarked. "I think we have a few things to talk about, Yokai..."

<><><>

"Mey-rin, pass me that cloth, would you?" you requested, and there was some delay before she handed it to you, almost tripping again. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time she'd knocked you down. Sebastian had passed by on one such occasion, told you to clean up afterward and resumed on his way. And you thought Mey-rin had a dirty mind.

Although on second thought, he may have been referring to the shoe polish that had smeared across the floor.

"M-Miss F/N..." Mey-rin said, and you glanced at her, making her flinch.

"It's just F/N."

"U-Um, well you see, erm..."

"Spit it out."

"Well, you and Sebastian, ummm... I-I heard some things, I did..."

"Like?" you asked, polishing the banister. You'd caught him playing with more than five cats, and he'd called you into his room to make you swear to never tell the master about his kitten hoarding.

"I heard umm... him saying how much he loved you, yes I did..." Yeah, that would be his cats. You had no love for Sebastian; he was your employer, and he usually pissed you off some way or another, but he was also, you suspected, a very real yokai.

"He was talking to the real love of his life," you replied.

"Who is that?"

"A girl named Kitty," you said, rolling your eyes. "Pretty young thing with black hair and green eyes." Mey-rin blushed.

"M-Mr. Sebastian..."

"What now?" the butler asked from the hall, sounding somewhat snappish. Judging from the small pieces of rubble in his hair, you'd say Bard blew up the kitchen again. You couldn't really blame him for being irritated about the blunders of the other servants, but it was annoying how he kept using you to help him because you were the only one who could do your job properly. Another part of Mey-rin's misunderstandings.

"N-Nothing, Mr. Sebastian!" Mey-rin cried, and you sighed as the butler opened his mouth again, already knowing what he was going to say.

"F/N, down to the kitchen with me; keep me from killing our incompetent chef."

"Kuso ," you muttered.

"I heard that, Yokai," Sebastian said, and you glared at him. "Don't forget I speak Japanese."

"Shinjimae, jiji " you spat, irritated with his attitude, and his jaw twitched.

"Shinitaidesu ka? "

"Kyoida na? "

"U-Umm, Miss F/N," Mey-rin said, tugging on your sleeve nervously, and you looked at her for a few moments, your eyes brightening.

"You wouldn't want to leave this one unsupervised, now would you, Sebastian?" you asked, folding your arms, trying not to let a smile form on your face as you realized he could not refute the fact that you should not be separated from Mey-rin.

Sebastian swore under his breath, although you couldn't tell what language it was before he turned on his heel and walked away without so much as another word to you, and you silently shouted in triumph. You were not working with him when he was in one of his homicidal moods.

"What was that about?" Mey-rin asked nervously as you continued cleaning the banister, and you turned to her without a word and patted her head, much to her surprise. "M-Miss F/N?" Her face was scattered with blush, and you couldn't help yourself thinking that she looked too cute.

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about," you replied with a smile. "Now let's keep cleaning for the young master, hm?"

"A-Ah, right..."

<><><>

"Hey, F/N..." Mey-rin said, hugging a pillow as she sat on the side of her bed. "What was that about, earlier today? You seemed kinda high-strung, you did..."

"That guy gets on my nerves," you said with a sigh, letting your hair free of its bonnet, nursing your scalp. "I don't care if he fires me; he's insufferable."

"Did...something happen between you two?" Mey-rin asked hesitantly, and I glanced at her to see her blushing.

"Mey-rin, if you're asking because you want me to help you see him naked again, I don't care what you do in your spare time. He's all yours."

"T-That's not... um..."

"I've known for a long time, Mey-rin. I'm not stupid." A faint pang hit your heart that you wished would silence itself. "And let me make this very clear: I have never been attracted to that man, and we have never been in an intimate relationship. Please don't draw conclusions from the snippets of conversations you hear."

"A-Ah, yes, y-yes, I-I'm sorry, I am, Miss F/N," she replied, quivering slightly.

"It's just F/N," you reminded, trying to be gentler now, having realized she was on the edge of crying. Were you really that scary?

"R-Right," she said with a small sniffle, and you gently removed her glasses to reveal her pretty brown eyes, shining with unshed tears, and you sighed at the sight.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't be so harsh with you," you apologized, wiping your thumb at the corner of her eye. "I like you Mey-rin, and I'm glad we're friends." Although I wish you would stop looking at that prick and look at me instead...

"F-F-F/N, w-why are you s-so close?" Mey-rin asked, blushing, breaking you out of your trance.

"No reason," you replied with another sigh. "Oyasumi "

<><><>

He was in a good mood today. You weren't sure whether that was a good sign or a bad one, and you faintly wondered if he'd finally decided he'd had enough and killed Bard.

"Good morning, F/N, Mey-rin," he said as you entered the main hall, a bright smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?"

You inclined your head slightly, and Mey-rin bobbed hers several times.

"That is very good to hear," Sebastian said, still with his smile. Faintly, you realized there was a lot of cat hair on his uniform. That'd be why he was so happy. "Please clean the dining room today, and after that, you may have the rest of the day off to spend as you please."

"Thank you," you said with a slight bow, although Mey-rin bent a full 90°, for which you let out a tired exhale. Stupid emotions. "Come on, Mey-rin; we have work to do," you said, dragging her away from the male. Sebastian's soft, knowing chuckle followed you all the way into the dining room, and you furiously shook your head to get rid of it.

"Mr. Sebastian can be really nice, he can," Mey-rin exclaimed happily as you poured the odorless cleaner on a soft cloth and began cleaning the surface of the dining table.

"Please; he assigns our tasks on a whim—you've seen him clean this entire manor from top to bottom in no less than a few hours," you replied irritatedly.

"But...he must want some help?"

"Considering how much you three screw up, how much do you think he wants to risk having you help?" Oops; accidentally told the harsh truth. This is why you're not popular...

"I try my hardest!" Mey-rin said cheerfully, unbothered by the insult. "What tea set do you think the master wants today?"

"We were only told to clean, Mey-r—" She was already on the stepstool, foraging around for tea sets, and you darted over to her, and it was only a few seconds after she had exclaimed 'Found it!' that she was thrown off balance, and you awkwardly caught/fumbled her, crashing to the ground from the weight. Still, she and the cups were saved.

"O-Oh, F/N, I'm so sorry, I am!" she exclaimed, getting off you, although she grabbed your chest in the process, which only made her more embarrassed than she already was. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," you replied, taking her hand and standing up. "I thought I told you to be more careful with that stool? You know it's unsteady." Mey-rin looked down.

"Sorry, F/N..."

"What are you saying sorry to me for? It's your life in the balance," you replied, folding your arms. Of course, the real reason she should be apologizing to you is for nearly giving you a heart attack.

"Ah...of course." Mey-rin replied, and you turned away to return to cleaning the table.

"What's so attractive about that damn butler, anyway?" you muttered under my breath, annoyed as you put more cleaner on the cloth you were using and resumed.

"U-Um, F/N, I really am sorry, I am," Mey-rin said nervously from behind you. "You aren't angry at me, are you?"

"No, Mey-rin," you replied.

"You sound angry, you do."

"I'm angry with Sebastian."

"But he didn't really give us any work today."

"I'm angry with him because he's so good-looking that you won't take your eyes off him," you snapped, for a fatal moment letting your jealousy get the better of you.

"I thought you said you..." Mey-rin's eyes widened behind her glasses, and you looked away, somewhat afraid of the revulsion you would see. "F/N, do you..." You closed your eyes. Well, now the secret was out.

"Sorry, Mey-rin, but I have to ruin our friendship," you said, walking closer to her, taking her hands in yours before you kissed her. You had never been more surprised in your life when she kissed back or when Bard wolf-whistled from the doorway, Sebastian holding him by the collar.

"That took long enough," Sebastian muttered.

"Wha—"

"Don't let it interfere with work."