I, Nijo Kyoko, work as a maid while attending university.

I serve the Hazumi family, wealthy owners of several popular businesses.

However, this isn't our first encounter.

The Hazumi and Nijo families have a long-standing relationship. My mother and Mrs. Hazumi, Mika-san, were college classmates.

Thanks to that connection, I've been visiting the Hazumi household since I was young…

But to be honest, even back then, I never quite got along with the young master—Hazumi Reito.

“Hmph! I said I want to play with that toy. Give it to me!”

He was the quintessential spoiled rich kid.

He’d resort to imperious commands when things didn't go his way and often looked down on others.

Even as a child, his behavior annoyed and upset me.

My aversion to him developed quickly.

However, the adults around him never scolded him.

On the contrary…

“I’ll go buy him the same toy right away!”

“In that case, shouldn’t we buy him a better one?”

They practically pampered him.

It baffled me as a child, but by the time I started elementary school, I began to understand why.

We learned about it in social studies class, and the teachers and other adults made it quite obvious.

In this world, men were few in number and therefore treated preferentially.

It wasn't that the government had implemented a specific policy dictating that men should be given preferential treatment, nor were there any such laws.

It was simply that society as a whole had become enveloped in an atmosphere of “we must cherish them” towards men, whose numbers were dwindling year by year.

As a result, men were given preferential treatment.

About a hundred years ago, the male-to-female ratio was roughly equal. If anything, women were slightly favored in some areas.

Phrases like, “Don’t push yourself; you’re a girl,” “I’ll pay for this; you’re a lady,” and “Ladies first” were apparently common.

Now, such notions were unthinkable, existing only in fiction.

In the present day, amid a declining birthrate and aging population, the male birthrate was particularly low, resulting in a severely skewed gender ratio.

It was so skewed that it could be described as a bug.

Women had become overprotective of men, or they acted aggressively to secure a precious male, sometimes resorting to borderline criminal behavior.

On the other hand, men were either…

“How dare you tell me what to do!”

Or…

“Eek! P-Please stay away from me!”

Either spoiled and tyrannical due to being raised in a pampered environment…

Or timid and constantly wary of women’s aggressive behavior.

Either way, they shared the common perception that “men are superior.”

And I… had developed a deep-seated aversion to men as a whole.

Come to think of it, it had started from the moment I met him.

He and I were childhood acquaintances, in a way… but I never told anyone that. No, I didn’t want to tell anyone.

Because I disliked him.

Time passed, and I entered university.

One day, Mika-san visited my home after a long absence.

I thought she had business with my mother, but… it seemed her visit concerned me.

As soon as she sat down on the sofa, Mika-san leaned forward…

“Please, Kyoko-chan. No… Nijo Kyoko-san. I was wondering if you could take care of my son, Rei-kun? In other words, I’d like you to work as a maid in our household.”

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t help but let out a surprised sound.

Mika-san’s “son” could only be him.

Mika-san was a good person.

But some things had changed.

I heard that after losing her husband a few years ago, she'd been working tirelessly to maintain the family business on her own.

Thanks to her efforts, the business was thriving.

However, she was so busy that she barely had time to care for or spend time with her son.

So, she’d hired dozens of maids to take care of him… but…

“A-Actually…”

Mika-san began in a grave tone.

It seemed… the maids were starting to have trouble with his spoiled behavior. To put it bluntly, they were at their wit’s end.

I understood immediately.

Ah, he hadn't changed at all.

And now… I would come to truly despise him.

Mika-san was a bright, cheerful, and kind person.

She and my mother had a good relationship… but that was beside the point.

I wasn’t keen on accepting…

But I couldn’t bring myself to refuse outright.

Because my family was struggling financially.

My father was irresponsible and took advantage of his status as a male.

Infidelity, gambling, smoking, drinking… he’d even assaulted someone once.

No matter how few men there were, that didn’t give him the right to act like that.

He repeatedly neglected his family, leaving us to deal with the consequences.

Unable to bear it any longer… my mother divorced him, and we left home.

If only that had been the end of it… but one of my father’s mistresses was a senior executive at a major client of my mother’s company.

I didn’t know what he’d told her, but… she suddenly announced that she was terminating their business relationship.

When asked why, she simply said, “It’s all Nijo’s fault.”

That was how my mother lost her job.

Such an unreasonable incident caused my mother’s health to deteriorate for a while, but she had since found new employment.

However, we weren’t financially stable.

I was working multiple part-time jobs, but my earnings barely covered my student loan repayments.

My younger sister would be taking her high school entrance exams in a year.

Our expenses would only increase, and life would become even harder.

But my mother insisted that we pursue our goals.

She was willing to bear the burden alone.

That’s why Mika-san’s offer… was appealing to me.

“Kyoko… you don’t have to force yourself, okay?”

My mother, sitting next to me, looked at me with concern.

She hadn't told Mika-san about our situation, not wanting to burden her friend.

She also probably knew that I disliked him.

Unlike my father, my mother was someone I deeply respected.

My sister was also adorable, and I, as her older sister, couldn’t help but spoil her.

That's why…

“A-Alright. I’ll accept.”

I decided to take the job.

So, I began working as Hazumi Reito’s personal maid while attending university.

But… I had underestimated the situation.

It wasn't a matter of whether I could balance work and studies.

“I don’t like these clothes. Don’t you have anything else?”

“Young Master, you chose and ordered these yourself just the day before yesterday…”

“Just change them. I don’t like them.”

He hadn’t changed at all since a few years ago.

If anything, he seemed even more troublesome now that he was older.

He took his preferential treatment for granted.

Everyone around him was at his beck and call, and he considered it perfectly normal.

He reminded me of my father… which made me feel even worse.

He hadn't physically assaulted me or made any sexual advances.

Deep down, he probably harbored a certain fear of women.

But…

“Hey, hurry up! Can’t you listen to what I say?!”

His thoughtless words were the cruelest form of violence.

And I hated him.

Later, as I was heading home after class…

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I checked the screen and saw an incoming call from one of the Hazumi maids.

…I had a bad feeling about this.

These calls never brought good news.

Or rather, I was instructed to be the first point of contact whenever there was a problem concerning the young master.

So, it was only natural to have a bad feeling.

I answered the call, and a panicked voice filled my ear.

…Something was different.

‘Ah, I got through! M-Maid Chief!’

“Yes. Calm down and tell me what happened.”

‘Y-Yes… Well, Young Master… Young Master… he hit his head hard and lost consciousness…!’

“…What?”