The Wilted Rose
...What in the... What was that...?
That was awesome...! I'm completely smitten!
That should... more or less settle things.
How are things on your end?
All clear. The Voidborns on our side have been eliminated with help from the Observers.
With this, the area should remain clear of Voidborns for a while.
That's a relief. I would like to extend my gratitude to the Observers as well.
No need to. This was our duty to begin with.
Their numbers multiplied so fast that even our observations couldn't keep up...
We didn't expect you to act before we could and handle the initial response.
And to think the Master Maid herself would lead the operation herself...
Fufu, please don't hesitate to call on us if something like this happens again.
Now then, we'll escort the citizens back and withdraw.
Oh, understood! Thank you again for your assistance!
Once the Voidborns have been dealt with, the maids returned to their respective duties.
Some returned to their work at Candle Square, while some stayed behind to assess residual risks.
Some escorted members of the Blue Rose Sisterhood to the hospital.
Wait, you're takin' us all the way to the hospital? Ain't there other things to take care of?
Fufu, it's quite alright. Candle Square has many capable maids beside myself.
Looking after people who need help is part of what it means to be a maid.
Unfortunately, our infirmary doesn't have enough room to accommodate everyone...
So we'd like to take you to the best hospital we can arrange.
Master Maid Carnelia. The name and title etched in the boss' mind.
It was then that the boss first started looking toward tomorrow.
Wanting to become like someone else was a feeling the boss of a reckless biker gang had never known before.
And in the end, that very boss...
She showed up at Candle Square, insisting to meet Carnelia.
As soon as she met the woman she'd been searching for, she fell to her knees.
...That's how it happened, isn't it?
...
I remember asking people not to spread rumors about it... but I suppose it didn't help.
I don't know the full story either. Only the person involved would know what really happened.
I won't deny what you said.
Besides... it seems you already know anyway.
Did you ever miss those days afterward?
Or wish you'd never become a maid at all?
...It would be a lie to say I never missed the past.
The scent of the wind, the pounding of my heartbeat... those things aren't easily forgotten.
It was a much simpler, more primal way of living than the life I have now... one where every responsibility and choice weighs on me.
But...
No matter what, I've never felt regret.
The future the boss dreamed of back then...
...isn't much different from who I am now, or who I hope to become.
...You're such an idiot.
Isn't that basically a compliment when you say it?
Shut up.
You were making it sound like some cheesy storybook romance.
I-I never said anything like that...!!
...Hmm. So you told my sister about all of this during your private conversation?
...Maybe. I believe so.
Seriously? Maybe? After remembering everything else?!
*Sigh*... I have no defense for that. I was extremely nervous speaking with Ms. Carnelia.
Also, the very next day after we spoke...
She was gone from Candle Square.
Things became so chaotic afterward that nobody had time to think clearly.
So the day before she disappeared, hmm...
...
...Claire, if we're really reliving the past exactly as it happened...
It seems you've reached the same conclusion I did.
This situation we're experiencing inside the black book...
If this isn't about traveling through time and more about reliving a record...
...Then the black book was Carnelia's journal?
Yes. Or perhaps it's something like a Candle Square work log she left behind.
We've gone through multiple days' worth of events, but never anything after working hours.
And since you weren't part of Candle Square back then, this recreated world doesn't recognize your existence.
That explanation does line up...
W-Wait! Then how are we supposed to get out of here?
Does that mean we have to experience the past day by day until we get to her last entry?
If we do nothing, yes, that is a possibility.
But if this world is a record left by Ms. Carnelia, and each sequence is part of that record...
We might be able to flip ahead to a specific day, like turning several pages at once.
After all, we don't necessarily have to turn the pages one by one.
...Very well. Then let's find the black book inside this world.
Finding a book inside a book and trying to turn the pages... Definitely absurd.
Otherwise, we can continue doing maid work at Candle Square for the next few months.
Personally, I wouldn't mind. It would be the perfect chance to retrain you in basic maid duties.
Fine. Let's go find the book already!
Why start in her office, though? We found the book in the library, remember?
Whether it was personal or work-related, Ms. Carnelia wouldn't have kept a private record in a public library.
Besides, we checked the entire library catalog together not long ago.
True that. There's no way we would've missed it.
Then... you're saying the book was kept in the office?
After she disappeared, it could've been transferred to the library while her office was being cleared out.
Then it might've gone missing before the cataloging review, only to reappear later.
That's my current theory.
*Sigh*... I just hope she didn't ward her office with detection spells...
...Huh?
Did you find it?
Yes. It was right inside the desk drawer.
...
...Maybe she didn't actually mean to hide it that well.
Hm? What did you say?
N-Nothing! Anyway, let's break the seal and—
Huh? No seal?
This is...
It's Carnelia's handwriting. Looks like we were right.
Phew. At least we weren't pulled into a book inside the book.
If we turn the pages toward the back...
...W-Why is it shaking...?
Apparently...
I think we hit the mark.
Cleaning the garden, tidying the stables... maid etiquette...
...Savior assistance, routine Polaris meeting, off-site duty, and...
...
One-on-one meeting.
I believe we've reached it.
The shaking... stopped.
That means we're at the right page, right?
Let's hope so. I'm certain it worked—
Excuse me.
Hyaaah?!
...? Did I startle you?
...Did I just hear a hyaaah?
A-Ahem.
I wasn't startled in the slightest. What brings you here?
Ms. Carnelia would like to see you for a private consultation.
Where is she waiting?
She's in the Master Maid office.
I'll prepare myself and head there shortly. Please let her know.
Yes, then.
...Claire?
...Yes.
It looks like I'll be having that cup of tea now.