"Mom, can you not be so loud?"
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
Eriri was furious. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself in front of Akira.
"Stop whining. This afternoon, I'm taking you to Roppongi."
"We're getting your hair done."
"Just look at that bird's nest on your head."
"If you want to make a fool of yourself at tonight's banquet, then fine, I won't take you."
"I'll just go out alone."
"Mom, wait for me! I'll go wash my hair and take a shower right now!"
Hearing that, Eriri immediately turned and bolted upstairs.
As Akira's one and only sister, she absolutely could not afford to embarrass him in front of such an important gathering.
After a simple lunch, Sayuri and Eriri left the house hand in hand.
With both Sayuri and Eriri out, Akira finally had time to search his room for the clues his father had left behind about his origins.
After over an hour of rummaging through drawers and cabinets, he finally found it.
Spencer had hidden a thin envelope in the upper interior of one of Akira's drawers, sticking it to the underside of the wooden panel.
It was completely out of sight—only by reaching inside would one be able to feel it.
Akira couldn't help but admire his father's skill.
The man really knew how to hide things.
No wonder Akira had never found it before.
Who would randomly run their hands along the very top of a drawer's interior?
Especially when that drawer was already packed with various books and miscellaneous items he rarely used.
Opening the envelope, the first thing that met his eyes was a childhood photo of himself.
Accompanied by a summary of his time as an amnesiac orphan wandering the streets of London.
Following that were the details of an investigation into his origins.
It was ultimately concluded that his biological father had been a Japanese diplomat.
Shortly after arriving in London for his post, he had died in a tragic car accident.
His son—Akira—had gone missing in the same accident.
Neither dead nor alive, simply vanished without a trace.
Since the deceased and missing persons were from a country thousands of miles away, Scotland Yard conducted a routine investigation before closing the case prematurely.
The rest was history.
After wandering the streets of London for over six months, an amnesiac Akira collapsed from a high fever one snowy night.
He was then picked up and taken in by Sayuri Sawamura, who happened to pass by.
Not only did he regain his past-life memories due to this turn of events, but he also awakened the unique talent gifted to him by the world.
Flipping to the last page, Akira found a list of relatives—both deceased and still alive.
Upon spotting a particular, all-too-familiar name, his jet-black eyes narrowed in shock.
Fragments of his past life resurfaced in his mind.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
So, he really had ended up as a protagonist, huh?
No wonder his father had kept this a secret.
He must have had his reasons.
Turns out, his birth family wasn't any less prestigious than the Sawamura household.
In fact, it might have been even more powerful.
Sigh...
Akira let out a long sigh, feeling a whirlwind of emotions.
Then, as if realizing something, he chuckled.
Eriri… it seems you're no longer my only little sister.
If his lineage were to be exposed, the one most affected would undoubtedly be Eriri.
However, Akira had no intention of acknowledging his biological family.
At least, not for now.
Let the past stay in the past.
The people he had known in his former life had long since moved on, thinking of him as dead.
The person he was now, and the person he would be in the future, had only one name—Akira Sawamura.
He had a new, loving family now.
A peaceful and fulfilling life he didn't want to disrupt.
Besides, he had made a promise to his father—to stay with this family and take care of Sayuri and Eriri for the rest of his life.
That was a promise between men.
With that resolve in mind, Akira felt no attachment to the document before him.
Taking it downstairs, he stepped into the backyard and pulled out a lighter.
As flames consumed the pages, his dark eyes remained fixated on the fire.
Only when the document had been reduced to ashes did he turn away, at peace with his decision.
Ding-dong!
At that moment, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Just as he was about to head back inside, Akira sighed in relief.
Please don't tell me Mom forgot her keys again...
Good thing he had burned those papers quickly, or he might've been caught red-handed.
There was no need to let them know about his past.
It would only cause unnecessary worry and disrupt their happiness.
"Mom, you idiot."
Muttering to himself, Akira walked to the front door, opening it while still half-scolding his mother.
But what greeted him was not his mother.
Instead, standing before him was a tall, stunningly beautiful young woman dressed in a traditional black-and-white maid outfit, complete with a lace-trimmed headdress.
By her feet rested a small brown leather suitcase.
"Hello! I'm here to apply for the position of a maid—my name is Yuki. I hope you'll consider hiring me."
Akira froze in place, his brain instantly going into overdrive.
What kind of protagonist-tier event was this?
A gorgeous, elegant maid just showing up at his doorstep?
And that introduction—wasn't it a bit too stiff?
This didn't sound like something a normal person would say.
But Akira wasn't exactly a normal person either.
Because he suddenly recalled something.
Just yesterday, he had jokingly wished to the heavens for a little sister and a maid.
Uh…
Wait a second…
Did the universe just grant my wish… this fast?
And this accurately?!
Thank you, Mother Universe—I truly must be your favorite child.
"I see… It won't work after all, will it?"
Seeing Akira frozen in thought, Yuki's eyes glimmered with an intense adoration before dimming in disappointment as she muttered to herself.