Goblin Village, One Month Later
"One, two, three! Up!"
"Thud!"
Two statues landed in place in front of the fountain at the center of the town square. Workers stepped back, satisfied. The statues depicted Kaito and Rimuru, side by side, watching over the village.
In a distant alley, two heads peeked out from around the corner.
"Kai-chan! This is so embarrassing! Why do they have to put up my statue?! Just yours would have been fine! Wuwuwu… I can't face anyone now!"
Kaito knocked the top of Rimuru's head.
"What do you mean, just mine would be fine?! If we're going to be embarrassed, we'll be embarrassed together. Besides, you're the leader. If anyone's statue should be up there, it's yours."
"What?! You're a leader too!"
"Alright, alright, it doesn't matter now. They're already installed."
The two were quietly plotting whether they might need to become Phantom Thief Kid in the dead of night when a voice came from directly behind them.
"Kaito-sama, Rimuru-sama. So this is where you were. I have been looking everywhere."
They both went rigid. Then, very slowly, they turned around.
Standing behind them was a silver-haired girl in a maid outfit. She was looking at them with the patient expression of someone who had expected exactly this.
"Hehe! Sakuya! I wasn't trying to run away, honestly. It was all Rimuru, she dragged me here!"
"Nani! You clearly dragged me here! Don't listen to him, Sakuya, it was all his idea!"
The silver-haired girl pressed two fingers to her forehead.
"You both abandoned your duties and disappeared. Kaguya-sama has people out searching for Rimuru-sama. Kanae has people searching for Kaito-sama. Have you two thought about what you plan to say?"
A cold sweat broke out on both their foreheads simultaneously. They laughed, very awkwardly.
"Uh… this… this…"
They looked at each other. A decision was reached in an instant.
"Look! A plane!"
"Kai-chan! Run!"
Sakuya reached into her pocket and drew out an antique pocket watch.
"[Time Stop]."
Both of them froze mid-stride.
'Time stop again. *2'
They watched the girl walk slowly toward them and gave up completely. Her [Time Stop] couldn't actually hold them. But since they were the ones who had run off and left her to deal with their responsibilities, they felt too guilty to break free.
The girl's full name is Izayoi Sakuya. A character from the Scarlet Devil Mansion in Gensokyo. Short silver hair, sideburns tied into small braids, maid outfit, and red eyes. Free-spirited and rational, very detached, skilled in all household matters.
She carries a pocket watch capable of stopping time, which she uses for everything from cooking to cleaning, and throwing knives hidden somewhere on her person. Among Gensokyo players she is widely known as the Perfect Head Maid.
As for how she came to be here, that story begins about half a month ago.
Half a Month Ago
"System! Sign in!"
'[Ding. Congratulations to Host for acquiring: Perfect Head Maid · Izayoi Sakuya Summoning Card (Gold).]
"Holy crap! System, you can sign in for actual characters now?"
'[Yes, Host. Characters obtained this way are 100% loyal to Host.]
"Good, good, good! Use the card!"
A card bearing the image of a silver-haired maid appeared before Kaito and shattered into golden light particles. The particles slowly converged, and a silver-haired girl in a maid outfit materialized before him, eyes closed.
As her red eyes opened and found the young man standing in front of her, she folded her hands gently over her lower abdomen, bowed slightly, and spoke in a composed voice.
"Greetings, Master. I am the maid Izayoi Sakuya. I dedicate everything to you."
Author Note: Different works give her different eye colors, some red, some brown. Going with red here. Silver hair and red eyes, a special attack on the heart.
Kaito looked at the Perfect Head Maid before him and gave the system a silent thumbs up.
"Just call me Kai-chan from now on. No need for 'Master.'"
"Yes, Kaito-sama."
Kaito said nothing more. Call him whatever she wanted. He was too tired to argue. Let it all be destroyed.
"System, open my attribute panel."
Kaito
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Realm: [Peak Nascent Soul Stage]
Cultivation Method: [Basic Cultivation Method]
Special Abilities: [Eye of Identification], [Dimensional Gate]
Followers: Izayoi Sakuya
Items: Dimensional Gate Sub-gate x1, Coke x7…
Overall Evaluation: You are already a visible big shot in the myriad worlds, though you might still be accidentally stepped on! ┓(´-`)┏
"The Dimensional Gate has moved to Special Abilities, and a Followers section has been added."
Kaito activated [Eye of Identification] on the girl.
Izayoi Sakuya
Loyalty: 100
Affection: 100
Abilities: [Time Stop Pocket Watch], [Time Stop Throwing Knives], [All-purpose Housekeeping]…
Overall Strength: Special A-rank
Special A-rank. Close to the strength of a Demon Lord Seed. Even Rimuru at this point in time was around that level. As expected of the Perfect Head Maid.
Back to the Present
"Rigur has a report, Kaito-sama, Rimuru-sama."
Izayoi Sakuya had retrieved the two of them by their collars and returned them to the conference room. They now sat obediently in the main seats, Sakuya standing quietly behind them.
Rigur stood at attention before the table.
"The Garrison reports human traces found in the forest. They were spotted by the Tempest Wolf Riders on patrol."
"How many?"
"Two men and two women. They are expected to reach the village shortly."
'Two men and two women. Could that be Kaval's party and Shizu? The timing fits.'
"Keep monitoring them. If no hostility is detected, let them approach. If they come to the town, bring them to me."
"Yes, Kaito-sama!"
Rigur turned and left. Kaito leaned back, thinking. In the original story, Shizu had been actively seeking death by this point. He turned it over in his head.
'So annoying. Save her or not? Forget it. I'll decide when the time comes.'
One Hour Later
"Huh! When did a whole town get built here?!"
Elyun stared at the settlement that had appeared before them through the trees.
"It really is a town. In the Great Jura Forest, no less. Incredible."
"Who on earth built it?! Surely not monsters?!"
Compared to the rest of the party, Shizu was calm. She surveyed the area quietly, then raised one finger and pointed.
"We won't need to speculate much longer. The town's owners appear to have come out to meet us."
The three followed her pointing finger. In the distance, a formation of Goblins mounted on Tempest Wolves was moving rapidly toward them through the trees.