"Now, let me introduce you to the newest addition to our family!" Ray made a theatrical introduction and music that came out of nowhere.
"I present to you the first one, the Head Maid, Sakuya Izayoi!"
Sakuya walks into the living room after hearing her cue as Asia claps her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Asia. I am Sakuya Izayoi, the Head Maid and servant of my master, Ray. If there's anything you need to get done, please do not hesitate to inform me. I will do everything in my effort to complete it." Sakuya introduced herself with a curtsy.
"Ah! Nice to meet you too, Miss Sakuya." Asia instinctively stood up and bowed a little.
"Umu. Now, for our next and last addition, Sirin!" He called.
A yelp was heard from the other room before a purple haired girl nervously walked into the living room with an unsteady gait.
"N-Nice to m-meet you, I am Si-Sirin." The girl stuttered repeatedly from anxiety and nervousness while her eyes kept shifting between the faces in the room and then the floor.
Ray gave her a thumbs up as encouragement and told her she did a wonderful job which worked like magic to dispel her nervousness and anxiety as joy filled her heart.
"Nice to meet you too, Sirin! I am Asia Argento. Let's be friends." Asia was beaming with a contagious smile as she walked forward and held Siren's hands.
"Ah… Yes. Let's be friends." Sirin said with a smile blooming on her face.
Normally, Sirin will act like a puffer fish when the topic of a friend is touched. But perhaps because Asia is someone trusted by her savior or perhaps of Asia's natural aura filled with kindness or both, Sirin easily accepted Asia.
"Well, it's good that everyone gets along well. But first, let's eat our lunch. I'm sure everyone is hungry, right?"
Sirin is the first to react to him with a rapid nod and starry eyes as all she had eaten before is shitty food the researchers fed her that is surely worse than animal feed since their only thought is to give her enough nutrition to just survive and serve as their experimental subject. Like the poor girl is basically just all bones underneath her clothes.
———
After lunch, Ray let the two loose to interact with each other. One is excited to make friends while another is very curious about basic everything which is a shared trait between the two. Meanwhile he is content to just watch on the sidelines like gazing at two beautiful flowers in the garden.
"Hmn. Good looking girls are a feast for the eyes no matter the species." Ray sip his tea served by Sakuya while appreciating the view like a connoisseur.
"Should I gather up more beautiful young girl to fill up your garden, Master?" Sakuya asked with a very serious tone on the side while filling up his cup.
Ray almost choked on his tea after hearing her words.
"Please don't say something misleading and do anything illegal please." He said after clearing up his throat.
"Noted, Master." The ardent and ever stoic Head Maid answered with a slight disappointment? What the heck?
"Speaking of which. Do you want to increase your power? Your time manipulation power, I mean. You being stronger would make me feel reassured to guard the mansion and my wards." Ray changed the topic.
"If that is your will, Master. I have no reason to object." She replied with a professional tone.
"Hmn. Sure. Show me the back of your palm."
Sakuya extended her right hand to Ray before he placed his paw on it. Then he infused some of his power and created a black mark with the appearance of a clock. Which has nothing to do with the actual power he grants her and merely a, well, a mark.
Sakuya immediately felt the wondrous effect of her new found power. Now she is not limited to stopping time but the total control of time. She can regress, halt and progress time. But, that's not all of it. She can also feel a connection to her master. A tangible one that she can draw energy from, an endless wellspring of power that felt infinitely vast and bottomless like the dark void of sky before a tiny puddle on Earth. Even then, she can instinctively sense that what she sensed is merely a tiny silver of her master's true strength.
Her expression did little to hide her shock and wonder, unbefitting of a professional maid of her stature. Which caused her to quickly get a grip of herself and immediately thanked her master.
"Think of it as a small gift for your dedication." Ray waved his paws and continued sipping his tea held by his shadow tentacle like nothing happened and appreciates his still budding garden of flowers.
"Hmn, maybe I should fill it up with different other varieties too. A connoisseur must know a broad and wide range of palette of taste and knowledge to truly enjoy and appreciate his collection." He mused while rubbing his chin.
Sakuya pretends she didn't hear what her master said while dutifully accompanying and serving him.
—————