These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy

March 31st, morning.

I woke up, gave the blanket to my little sister curled up beside me, and went to wash up.

Even though Serena slept in my room last night, she didn’t touch me. She was probably being considerate of my injury.

Well, I do appreciate her thoughtfulness, but honestly... it’s not like I was that badly hurt...

I don’t even remember exactly how I ended up in the hospital. When I woke up, I was already lying in a hospital bed. Cora was crying her eyes out, Mom and Serena looked worried sick, feeding me food and even insisting on coming with me to the bathroom.

Come on! I’m not disabled! Is all that really necessary?

They were seriously overreacting...

And what’s even more absurd is that, according to Mom, Lillian Ji stayed in the hospital room the entire day on the first day I was admitted. Mom even called her a “sweet, considerate girl” and told me to treat her well or whatever, which just made me frown.

What’s more, she came the second day, too. And the third... All the way up to yesterday. She basically dropped by every morning and stayed for hours.

Unbelievable.

Honestly, I thought she’d use the opportunity to kill me.

If she’d just stood by and watched me bleed to death, she would’ve gotten exactly what she wanted—a freshly dead corpse.

But in the end, she chose the one thing I thought she’d never do: saving me.

That said, I’ve already come up with a theory.

She probably wants to kill me with her own hands.

No external interference. Just her own strength.

I’m basing this on something she said to me—how she’d never killed ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) anyone before, and wanted to give her “first kill” to me. I don’t think she was lying.

Thinking back to the beginning, back when I couldn’t see Lillian Ji’s true title, I had no idea she was a murderer. Not just me—no one else noticed anything strange about her either.

At the time, I’d just been thinking, How can someone hide it so well? A killer living among us, and we’re all just clueless little rabbits ready for the slaughter.

But now that I think about it, it makes sense. She really hadn’t killed anyone yet. There were no traces left behind at all...

Also, her pride probably wouldn’t let her do something as cheap as taking advantage of a dying guy. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to ask me to be her boyfriend, which wasn’t even in her best interest.

Too bad for her, giving me her “first kill” doesn’t mean much. But if I gave up my “first death,” I’d be seriously screwed. This isn’t a game. If you die in real life, that’s it. No respawns.

As for how I got hurt—obviously I can’t say it was because I was attacked by a zombie. Thankfully, Lillian Ji had already made up a cover story: I supposedly shielded her when she almost fell down the stairs.

The only one who probably saw through the lie was Dad. Some of the wounds obviously weren’t from a fall.

Speaking of Dad, he insisted I stay in the hospital for a week to recover. I honestly didn’t think it was necessary... Actually, I don’t think I even needed to be hospitalized at all.

I mean, sure, the wound on my stomach was kind of bad—it needed five or six stitches—but the rest were nothing.

So yesterday afternoon, I quietly went and discharged myself from the hospital and came home.

As I washed my face with warm water, a stinging sensation pricked at my cheeks—shallow cuts reacting to the water.

After rinsing off my face, I used a towel to pat it dry and pulled out the adhesive bandages I’d prepared earlier. I stuck them on my left cheek and forehead.

It looked kind of lame, but it was still better than wearing gauze. Bandages just give off this... chuuni vibe, you know?

After I was done washing up and put on my non-prescription glasses, I headed downstairs to make breakfast and pack a lunch like I always did.

But when I stepped into the kitchen, I found someone already there.

Not a family member—but a complete stranger.

And yet, for some strange reason, that person fit into our kitchen perfectly. Like she belonged there. Like she’d cooked in this space countless times already. She radiated a kind of efficient, confident energy.

The most striking part... was the outfit.

No matter how you looked at it—it was a maid uniform.

Black and white, ruffled and elegant. The layers of lace, the poised composure—it was like the outfit had come alive on her.

I’d only met her a few times, but if I wasn’t mistaken, this had to be Ms. Shirley.

I took off my glasses to check her title, just in case—and sure enough, it was Ms. Shirley.

But why the hell was Ms. Shirley in my house? Isn’t she Lillian Ji’s maid? Don’t tell me she snuck in again... To make us breakfast?

What the hell is going on here?

“Mm...”

Lost in my thoughts, I let out a sound without realizing.

Ms. Shirley heard me, turned around, and gave a calm smile. She placed her hands in front of her skirt and bowed politely.

“Good morning, Young Master Ethan.”

“O-oh, good morning...”

All the questions I was about to ask disappeared under the sheer weight of that greeting.

A maid. There’s actually a maid here. First thing in the morning. It’s like something out of a dream...

“Would you prefer Chinese-style or Western-style breakfast today?”

“Uh... I guess I’ll go with porridge this morning...”

“Understood. Please wait just a moment. I’ll have it ready right away.”

I nodded blankly and sat at the table. Tilting my head, I watched Ms. Shirley move efficiently in the kitchen, and a strange feeling welled up in my chest.

How long has it been since I last sat like this, watching someone else make breakfast...?

Her silhouette in that maid uniform made me want to wrap my arms around her from behind...

Wait, no! This isn’t the time to be getting nostalgic or falling for the maid fantasy!

More importantly, why is Ms. Shirley in my house!?

“Um... Ms. Shirley, how did you get into my house...?”

“No need to worry. I didn’t sneak in. I came by after you fell asleep last night. The master of the house granted me permission to stay and even gave me a key.”

“Uh... the master meaning my dad?”

“Yes. Your father returned home last night at 11 p.m. He had breakfast not long before you woke up, then left again.”

Wow, still coming home that late... But I guess I should be glad he managed to come home at all.

Lately, both Dad and Mom have been swamped. Most of their time’s been spent at the hospital. In the past, even when Dad was busy, he’d usually be home by seven at the latest. Now it’s like he’s vanished entirely.

“...So many late nights lately.”

“Yes. Due to the recent string of violent murders, both the hospital and the funeral home are extremely busy.”

“Huh? Murders?”

“Yes. So for your safety, I’ll be picking you up after evening classes.”

“That’s not really necessary, is it...?”

“I’m afraid it is. Per the young lady’s orders, I’ll be staying here to look after you until your wounds are healed.”

She brought over an elegant breakfast and said this with a serious expression, leaving no room for refusal.

“And I have a message for you from the young lady.”

“What kind of message...?”

Ms. Shirley didn’t answer right away. She closed her eyes and was silent for three seconds. Then, opening her eyes again—

“‘Hehehe~ Dear Ethan, you checked yourself out of the hospital early, didn’t you? Such a disobedient boyfriend~ Your wounds haven’t even healed yet, and I’m so worried I can’t sleep at night~ So I’m sending Shirley to take care of you... Mm, I guess this also counts as compensation for tricking you into that café with a maid costume. After all, since you’re such a maid maniac, just seeing one gets you all flustered, right? Hehehe~ If you can’t hold yourself back, you can ask Shirley to help you~ But just so you know, Shirley’s not just my maid. She’s also my mentor. So if you try to force her... it won’t go well for you, hehe~’”

Cough! Cough!

I nearly spat out my porridge.

That was insanely accurate! She nailed Lillian Ji’s tone and even her expressions. It felt like the real Lillian was right there in front of me!

Ms. Shirley, you’re too good at this!

“That’s the gist of it.”

I glanced at Shirley, still smiling calmly, and stammered awkwardly,

“Um, I—I’m not...”

With a knowing smile, Ms. Shirley spoke as if she could see right through me.

“Don’t worry, Young Master Ethan. I won’t think less of you if you happen to have expectations toward a maid. In fact, I’m rather flattered... And of course, if you need help with... physical needs, I can assist with my hand.”

“Cough, cough, cough, cough! That’s really not necessary!!”

No wonder she and Lillian Ji seem so alike—especially that unflappable demeanor and ever-smiling face. It’s like they were cut from the same cloth.

Turns out it’s because she’s Lillian Ji’s educator...

No wonder her title is [Perfect-Type Head Maid].

“Big Brother? Who are you talking to...?”

“Hm? Cora? You’re up early today.”

Cora walked in. She was up unusually early this morning.

“Waaah~ Maid-chan~!”

Patter patter patter.

She ran over and threw her arms around Ms. Shirley’s waist.

Spinning around while giggling, her big eyes sparkled like gems.

“My, Miss Cora, you’re quite lively this morning.”

Oh, right—Cora’s a huge maid fan too. I remember she even ordered a maid outfit online once and tried it on in front of me. It was way too powerful—too cute—so I ended up banning her from wearing it again.

“Yup! You came to wake me up, remember, Shirley?”

So that’s why Cora’s up so early. Shirley must’ve gone to wake her up... Wait—she’s been in the kitchen this whole time. When the hell did she do that? Is she using shadow clones or something!?

“Hehe. If you’d like, I can wake you up every morning.”

“Yay~ That’d be awesome! I really love maids~ And so does my brother~”

“It’s an honor to be liked by both the young master and young lady.”

“You’re so amazing, Shirley. Everyone must love you~ Too bad you’re not our maid...”

“You can consider me your maid as well.”

“But wouldn’t your original master be sad if we took you away?”

“The young lady is not my master. Besides, there are other maids to care for her. You may command me as you please, Miss Cora.”

“Really!? That’s awesome! If Shirley becomes our maid, Cora will be super happy!”

“Hehehe~ It brings me joy to serve you both.”

“...”

Even though both of them were smiling, I felt an intense pressure building between them. Like there was a hidden message beneath their words...

Watching the two of them get along—maybe a little too well—I suddenly felt my presence fading into the background.

Like I was back in class, invisible again.

I mumbled that I was done eating, grabbed my bag, and headed for the entrance.

As I was slipping on my shoes, I heard someone call out.

“Please wait, Young Master Ethan.”

“Hm?”

Ms. Shirley stepped up, straightened my collar, tucked a clean handkerchief into my pocket, and placed a lunchbox in my hands. She smiled gently.

“Young Master Ethan, I wish you a safe journey.”

So dazzling... This must be the healing power of a maid...

“Ah... thanks.”

I had only walked four or five steps out the door when a sudden chill ran down my spine.

...I had the sinking feeling that if I turned around right now, I might see something I shouldn’t.

Feels like... my home is no longer a peaceful place...

I really hope I’m wrong.