Confinement King

Chapter 222: Clamorous maid, Bath Time

「I’m so tired…」

「You just slashed a tire」

「That’s why I was so tired」

Centipede(Mukade) bent over and stretched, and Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) made a tsukkomi.

The four of us are currently taking a bath, having been given permission by the head maid to use the large bathroom. We are cleaning off the dirt from our battle with the devil.

Although we are at the bottom of the Confinement King-sama’s hierarchy, we are allowed to use the baths with almost no restrictions.

According to the head maid

『A maid must always be clean. Otherwise, your masters won’t be able to enjoy when you are dirty』

She’s right.

Since we never know when the Confinement King-sama will take care of us, we must always keep ourselves clean.

The four of us line up in a row and wash each other’s backs, and then each of us washes our hair.

If there is one complaint, it is that we all use the same shampoo, the same soap. The same scent.

Women are strange creatures, and if they are together all the time, their menstrual cycles are synchronized before they know it.

We all have the same hairstyle, which makes us look like mass-produced maids.

Thanks to this, I am a little jealous of Earthworm(Mimizu) that are currently dyeing her hair platinum pink for her mission.

Noticing that I was staring at her, Earthworm(Mimizu) tilted her head suspiciously.

「Hey, what’s up, Cockroach(Gokiburi)?」

「Your hair color reminds me, Earthworm(Mimizu), is today your work day at the girl’s bar?」

「Yeah, yeah. It’s rather fun. Dealing with old men」

「Isn’t it hard to keep up with them?」

「No, not really. I used to think kids were kids and old guys were old guys, like they were different creatures… But when I realized that the old men didn’t suddenly change into old men, but are simply an extension of their childhood, I found them quite cute」

「Fuuh… you mean like an ex-boy?」

「Yeah yeah, or boy (old one)」

And then, we laugh, with our foreheads pressed together.

「Oh, by the way, how’s Takata-sama now?」

At my question, Earthworm(Mimizu)’s mouth slackens.

「When I asked her, she said, “I feel relaxed. I don’t feel like I’m obsessed with being number one in the bar. If I don’t win first place, I’ll just get embraced” and, “Right now is the best because I’m the most popular”」

「Heh~… I see. And yet, every day, I get asked, “How’s Kijima-chi today? Can he hold me?” 」

「Ahaha, that’s probably not about money anymore」

After we had finished washing our bodies, the four of us lay side by side in the shallowest of the many baths, and lazed about. It was a blissful time, even if it was a little bit indecent.

「Fuiiii… this is paradise…」

「As a maid serving the devil, what is paradise?」

Centipede(Mukade) replies to Earthworm(Mimizu)’s comment.

「Hot water hell!」

I can only assume that she doesn’t like the way you say it. Then, Tapeworm(Sanadamushi), at the far end, shakes her shoulder and laughs, “Pupupu”.

「By the way, Tapeworm(Sanadamushi). Today’s dish was pretty much a given, what was it… let’s see, Kartoffelsuppe」

「Maybe that soup’s got potatoes and sausage in it. It’s a suplex」

Tapeworm(Sanadamushi)  replies to Earthworm(Mimizu)’s question with some frustration.

「Yeah yeah, that German stuff. Was it worth the effort?」

「Well, I don’t know, I’ve been practicing against the Minotaur, and that dog girl was so light, I almost missed」

The reason for the German Suplex was that Natsumi-sama had suggested it on the day of the Ishikari Hot Pot. “You need a special move, don’t you? I recommend the German supplex”.

Then, Natsumi-sama showed her a video of a German suplex by an uncle named H** Saito on her smartphone, and since then, Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) has been practicing against the Minotaur after her regular training.

「But, you usually use a battle axe, right? No need to use those move, right?」

I asked, to which Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) replied in a rather serious voice.

「That’s true, but if I’m going up against that foreign(gaijin) woman, she’ll dodge all my strikes. I had to get her into some kind of grappling technique… she’s faster than that dog girl」

「Faster than her!?」

Centipede(Mukade) let out an exasperated squeal and rolled over onto her back with her ass poking out over the hot water.

「By the way, what’s going to happen to the people we caught today? Are they going to be our juniors(kouhai)?」

Earthworm(Mimizu) sat up in the bathtub, looking around at the others and saying something like that.

「No, no, no, that sexy lady is fine, but not the old man, okay? And weren’t the guys supposed to be sent to the demon world? Just like the gangs in Tokyo」

「Oh… a milk supply? Then, what about the dog girl?」

「Well…?」

I shake my head.

The head maid didn’t seem to like dog girls, but Lili seemed to be pondering what to do.

To be honest, I don’t know what will happen.

At any rate, the doggy is now wrapped up in a chain and thrown into a room.

“Go all out with the latest fashion, Devi” said Lili-sama, holding on a bamboo instead of a manacle, but I couldn’t understand what the fashion which Lili-sama’s talking about.

After we had thoroughly enjoyed the bath, we went out to the changing room, where the head maid was waiting for us with her arms folded.

（Oh no! What did we do?）

In spite of our panic, we trained maids instantly straightened ourselves up in an upright posture.

「「「「 Good Afternoon! Mam! 」」」」

「You don’t have to be afraid」

「「「「 Yes, Mam! 」」」」

The head maid looks around at us and opens her mouth.

「You’ve all done well today. There is fruit milk in the dining room. After this, please drink it with relish」

「「「「 Thank you, Mam!」」」」

We breathed out a sigh of relief in our hearts. The head maid nodded her head in satisfaction and opened her mouth.

「From now on, each of you will return to your duties. Earthworm(Mimizu) will work at the girls’ bar, Cockroach(Gokiburi) will take care of Takata-sama, and you, Centipede(Mukade), will take care of Kyoko-sama today」

「Eh?」

「What’s your answer?」

「Y-yes, Mam!」

Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) was supposed to be in charge of Kyoko-sama. So, Centipede(Mukade) looked puzzled for a moment, but her orders were absolute.

「Then, Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) will be in charge of intercepting the saint tonight, along with Yui-sama」

Our eyes widened involuntarily.

The saint must be the foreign(gaijin) woman that Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) is so fond of.

But what the heck was going on with Yui-sama?

Even though she is a maid, she is an ordinary maid in the Fujiwara family and has no fighting ability.

Despite our confusion, Tapeworm(Sanadamushi) gave a fierce smile and shouted.

「Thank you, Mam!」

Whatever happened, I suppose it’s all good and well for Tapeworm(Sanadamushi).

「Mm, good」

The head maid nodded in satisfaction.

That’s all well and good, but when we’re done talking, we need permission to get dressed.

Even though we are all women, we are not without shame.

But the head maid moved on to the next topic.

「I would like to introduce you to a new servant」

（A servant?）

「Come in, Nefuterra(ネプテラ)」

Then the door to the dressing room opens and a girl walks in.

Her hair is chestnut brown. Its length is just below her shoulders. She is wearing an unfamiliar school uniform of a brown blazer and a red skirt, and has one hand in the pocket of her blazer.

I wondered if she was the same age as us.

She was a cute girl, but she looked like one of the girls in our class. She had an air of cheerfulness about her, as if she were a solid person.

「Oba-san, please don’t call me that. On Earth(Human World), I go by a different name」

「Then give yourself a name」

「Yes, yes, I’m Nefutera. You can call me Terra in Earth(Human World)」

（Almost nothing has changed! It’s a very sparkly name! “Terra” Latin/Italian/Portuguese term for “Earth”）

My confusion may have shown on my face. So, she smiled, stared at my face, and spoke.

「I guess it’s a temporary name to hide from the world」

（If you’re going to be low-key, the name shouldn’t be sparkly…）

Of course, I would never say such a thing even if I thought it.

The head maid looked as if she had bitten down on a bitter bug at her attitude, and opened her mouth again.

「For the time being, she is my niece. This girl is basically a traitorous bat-girl, but when the demon nobles with whom she had a contract were destroyed by Lili-sama, she turned to me and surrendered」

「Isn’t that too much for a bat-girl?」

「Calm down. I’m using her because of her skills as a trainer, not because of her personality」

「Tsk…」

When Terra-san’s mouth twitched, the head maid ignored it and turned her attention to us.

「You girls, let me know immediately if she shows any suspicious behavior. Okay?」

「「「「 Yes, Mam!」」」」

「So, which one should I train? The pink-haired girl over there has the kind of body Terra likes, but…」

「Hii!?」

Terra-san puts a finger to Earthworm(Mimizu)’s chin and moves her face closer to her chest. Immediately, Earthworm(Mimizu)’s cheeks twitched drastically.

However, there was no way for her to move her position without Head Maid’s instruction. So, under Terra-san’s watchful gaze, Earthworm(Mimizu)’s face turned red and she bit her lip.

「Stop it!」

「Aha!?」

Head maid punched Terra-san in the head, and as she crouched there holding her head, she said.

「Nefuterra’s position here is trainer. Her rank is the same as yours. But don’t let your guard down. She is a specialist in poisons and medicines, so be careful not to be poisoned. Do not eat anything she hands you!」