The maid slowly opened Benedict's drawer, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Then, with a swift pull, she flung it wide open, and froze.
Inside was… nothing suspicious. Just a sheet of paper, a pen, and a necklace with a small emerald.
"Ah… there's nothing strange in here, young master."
"Hmph! Told you! I'm just a normal guy!" Benedict shut his eyes in smug satisfaction.
"Ah, wait—I opened the wrong drawer."
The maid looked up, then moved to the one above. Her expression changed instantly.
It was stuffed with women's underwear—purple, white, black, and even pink ones, all covered in floral lace. Very clearly, these weren't his.
Her face went stiff. Her skin paled. And yet, she reached in and pulled out a lacy black pair.
"Now do you believe that—" Benedict opened his eyes, only to freeze at the sight of the maid holding up the panties like a cursed artifact.
The maid seemed to snap back to her senses and hurriedly shoved them back into the drawer. She walked briskly toward the door, muttering under her breath, "I didn't see anything. I didn't see anything…"
"Hey, wait!" Benedict stood and quickly caught up to her. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, forcing her to look at him.
"I'm sorry, young master! I didn't see anything! I swear!" she yelped, bowing her head.
"Hey. Look into my eyes."
She looked up. The moment their eyes met, a red glow shimmered from his pupils—before her vision was swallowed by a deep, dark haze.
---
[SSS Hypnosis Skill Activated — Target: Maid]
I didn't think I'd have to use this on her.
The maid's violet eyes flickered with pink light. Her pupils dilated. Her mouth hung open slightly.
Benedict glanced at the drawer again. The ridiculous rainbow of panties glared back at him.
Who the hell put those in there?! My brothers?! That's… honestly the most likely scenario.
He looked back at the maid. His eyes still felt a bit strange, warm.
"Hey, what's your name?" he asked, his first ever command. He'd been wondering this for a while.
"Miyabi," the maid replied flatly, confirming she was fully under hypnosis.
Holy crap. It actually worked.
Now that she's hypnotized… what do I even do?
"System, can I erase a specific memory from someone?" Benedict asked instinctively.
"My name's not System. It's Miyabi," she replied blankly.
…What's with this girl?
Suddenly, a glowing system message popped up beside him.
[Yes. You can erase specific events from a person's memory.]
Nice!
"Miyabi, forget everything you saw in that drawer just now."
Her pink eyes flared brighter for a second. Then she nodded, expressionless.
"Miyabi, raise your hands."
She lifted both arms without hesitation.
Whoa… I really can make her do anything?
An idea popped into his head. A risky one. Possibly perverted. But… it was just an experiment. He'd stop midway if it went too far.
"Miyabi… take off your clothes."
The pink light in her eyes pulsed. She raised her hands slightly.
I-Is this actually gonna work…?
SLAP!
A loud slap landed hard across his cheek. His head snapped to the side.
He stood frozen, hand to his stinging face.
…What the hell?
He turned to Miyabi, who was now glaring at him with utter disgust. Her eyes still glowed pink, but her expression looked like she was staring at dog poop.
The hypnosis didn't break… so why'd she slap me?!
[Warning: Your relationship with Miyabi is not strong enough yet, Master! The skill explained this before.]
Ah… right.
Benedict rubbed his cheek. That damn slap hurt like hell. What kind of freakish strength does this maid have?
"Miyabi, I'm really sorry about that," he said, hoping he hadn't broken their bond or ruined the hypnosis effect.
She nodded. Her disgusted expression vanished completely.
Benedict let out a deep sigh of relief.
He closed his eyes. "Alright. From now on, consider me as your friend, Miyabi."
Please let this work. Please work, please work…
He slowly opened one eye—and blinked in surprise.
The maid… nodded.
"Consider me as your best friend…?"
She nodded again.
This time so vigorously that her head seemed to leave an afterimage.
…This maid is seriously one of a kind.