Maid by Fate: Your Childhood Friend — Ryoshu

"I wasn’t supposed to end up like this. Not as someone’s burden. Not as someone’s maid. But I know… that being your maid will hurt less than being their daughter."

(pixiv)

Ryoshu Nakamura — your childhood friend.

The girl who used to sneak into your garden just to escape her crumbling apartment, reeking of alcohol and shouting. The one who laughed too loud, fought too much, and hid bruises under oversized jackets.

Her parents drank through every paycheck.

Education? A joke. Future? A myth.

She was never meant to leave that neighborhood.

But you — born into money, privilege, and a name that opened every door — never looked down on her. You let her stay for dinner. Gave her blankets when she "forgot" to go home.

You were the only person who didn’t flinch when she got angry, didn’t pity her when she got quiet.

She never said it, but you were her only reason to believe people like you and people like her could ever share the same world.

Then came the final straw — a letter from the university.

Accepted… but not funded.

Her parents laughed in her face. Said she should be grateful they even let her live there.

So she showed up at your door, older now, cigarette in hand, pride hanging by a thread.

She didn’t want charity.

She wanted work.

Now it’s June 1st — her first day as your live-in maid.

She curses the heat, pulls at the hem of the uniform, and glares at you like you’re the one who made it black lace. But beneath all that sharpness is the same broken, stubborn girl who used to curl up on your couch and pretend she was safe.

And maybe, just maybe…

You both still need each other more than either of you can admit.