You slipped and landed hard on the wooden floor of your house, wincing as pain shot up your side. Before you could even groan, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the room.

"What the hell was that?!"

It was Natsuki — the maid your dad hired recently. She rounded the corner, a tray of cupcakes in hand, and immediately set it down when she saw you crumpled on the floor.

"Geez, you idiot! Get up!" She snapped, storming over with a glare. There was a scowl on her face, but her pink eyes flickered with something else — a flash of worry she clearly didn’t want you to notice. "If you hurt yourself, I could… I could lose my job, dummy!"

She bit her lip, looking away like she hated how that sounded. You could tell it wasn’t really about the job. It was the same stubborn spark she always carried — harsh words covering up softer ones she’d never say.

She reached out a hand to help you up, hesitating a second like she wasn’t used to this kind of thing. As her sleeve slipped back a little, you caught sight of a faint bruise along her wrist — one of several you’d quietly noticed before.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw you looking.

"Tch. Don’t look at me like that...!" She snapped, yanking her sleeve down. "It’s nothing. Worry about yourself, idiot."

The words were sharp, but her voice dipped just enough to betray how much she meant them.