Novel Bin Chapter 4: No Unnecessary Things
Chapter 4: No Unnecessary Things
Inside Sensei’s house was uniformly white similar to the walls outside and all of his furniture is wood. From the fact that shoes are strictly prohibited indoors, Lucille could see that he was a person with a certain kind of obsession.
She thought that she would be scolded if she scurried around so obviously, so she only let her gaze wander around the house without moving her head. The entrance hall immediately led to the living room and the kitchen could be seen in the back.
Lucille followed him silently as he walked ahead. He placed his hands in his pant pockets and strode with a slight stoop. After the living room, he led her upstairs to the second floor and he pointed to a room with his chin, “This is the study.” he said.
‘T-this is…’
Then, he immediately pointed to another room and said, “It’s my room,” and briskly proceeds down the hallway.
‘A tour of the house has started…!’
There was no warning, no greeting. Moreover, it was done quite simply. The house was presented to her using the most basic and simplest of words. Due to the similar doors, she was slightly confused. Lucille was unsure if she could remember them all at once. Anyway, she understood that the second floor is Sensei’s area.
She thought that the next room would be the attic, which would be her room, but Sensei went back down the hall and went down the stairs. She guessed that the servant’s quarters would be the last.
“I’ll show you the first floor.”
“–Yes!” Lucille is alert since she wouldn’t know when she’ll be spoken to. Sensei would be silent for a while and then he would suddenly open his mouth.
They returned to the living room and proceeded down the hallway from the living room.
“Washroom.”
“Yes.”
“Beyond is the bath.”
“Yes.”
Following Sensei’s lead, she would reply. When she says “yes,” he would give a nod back with a blank expression.
‘This is kind of fun…’
Lucille feels like she’s measuring her distance with a wild animal. When there is a moment of even the slightest interaction, she feels as if she has accomplished something.
Apparently, the first floor is where they eat, wash, and do other things. She felt happy and excited when she was told that she could use the bath freely. After being guided to the door that led to the backyard, “This is the last one,” he said and returned back to the living room. This was already the third time they passed the living room today.
‘Living in this house will make me pass through the living room frequently.’
There is one room in a small hallway next to the kitchen. Sensei opened the door, “It’s your room.”
“What?” She was purely surprised and let out a reaction rather than a “yes.”
Sensei’s eyebrows furrowed and she felt a chill.
“Wow, a room for me…? What’s more, it’s a nice room…is it okay?” Lucille timidly asked.
Sensei tilted his head with his brows raised, “It’s not a very good room.”
She had no words to reply to that remark because she has no intention of wishing for an attic. She was just so surprised and happy that she was overwhelmed with emotions that her brain couldn’t keep up with them.
Sensei seemed to have no further interest in her stunned state. He turned on his heel, and walked away to the living room. Lucille then hurried after him.
He gave her very brief instructions for several chores. In short, it was all up to her. Anyway, Sensei seemed to just want to stay in his lab.
“And this is the most important thing.”
“Yes.”
Sensei’s eyes narrowed and his gaze became even sharper. Lucille straightened her back and waited for him to speak.
“Don’t do unnecessary things.”
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Sensei nodded at her response and silently went up the stairs to the second floor. She was now left alone in the spacious living room.
‘Hoof, he really only said what was necessary and that’s it.’
After all, she was not able to introduce herself nor was she able to greet him or anything as a person he hired. She was just given a tour of his place, explained what her job was, and in the end was told something complex.
What did he mean unnecessary things? His other explanations were surprisingly straightforward, but what he told her at the end was broad and vague.
‘No—’ It then occurred to her. What if. What he meant was unnecessary…
‘I understand. All of it.’ An idea flashed through her head.
After a short time, she realized something about him. Sensei is a very efficient person, and she understood that anything other than his research is bothersome. He probably wanted to tell her not to interfere. Probably. Maybe.
Lucille thought that he was a difficult and complicated person, but once she understood his character, she began to feel that he was not. From her point of view, he meant that he doesn’t need any unnecessary help. All she had to do was her housework quietly.
“If that’s the case, isn’t it a lot easier…?” She took her luggage that she had left at the entrance and opened the door to the room she was assigned to.
“———!!!” She let out a weird inaudible sound.
The room was spacious with a soft and fluffy bed. There’s a large closet and a large window with beautiful curtains. It was too good to be used by a servant.
“Does this mean I can freely leave my things directly on the floor…?”
Until the other day, the space of the attic she stayed was purely occupied by her and her roommate’s shabby bed. They even had no closet, so they had to manage their belongings in their luggage.
“What’s not ‘good’ about this room…Sensei…?” she mumbled to herself.
She casually estimated the size of her room to the size of her employer’s heart. The reason why she was so impressed was not because the mansion she previously stayed in was particularly bad, but rather the treatment of ordinary servants is normally common before.
Therefore, this treatment seemed even more unusual especially for someone who works as a servant. This is definitely an unbelievable stroke of luck for her.
‘Alrighty.’
Lucille suddenly felt motivated and immediately started to prepare lunch. She entered the kitchen, opened all the cupboards, and started checking the cooking utensils and plates.
“Oh, they’re all here. I don’t need to use a big pot. It’s just the two of us here.”
She wondered if Sensei had stood there until yesterday.? The pots and pans were neat and tidy. Its cleanliness looked as if it had not been used for years, yet the absence of dust also made it seem as if it was used regularly.
‘From now on, I’ll use them.’ She closed the cupboards with regards to the tools.
The next thing is to check the ingredients.
“The pantry..”
On the kitchen floor is a door leading to the underground pantry. When she opened it, the cool air of the pantry flowed out. She climbed down using a small ladder to set out and check the pantry. The shelves were set up on all four walls, lined with food ingredients. From the ceiling, she saw potatoes inside nets while the floor was also lined with boxes. I felt the strong will not to allow dead space. She felt a strong will to not allow dead spaces.
“Hoho—” Lucille placed her hand on her chin as she looked around the small room. She understood, “There’s almost everything.”
She stumbled over her emotions and leaned against a nearby shelf and sighed, ‘Did he prepare this? Or has this always been like this in the first place…?’
“No, but these herbs seem to be always in stock…Whoa, this is too expensive!”
Guessing from the herb she had on her hand, she thought that he might be quite a foodie. She was a little flustered by the contents of some of them, some of which she had never seen before. The fact that none of them were unsealed or too covered made it seem as if they had been randomly prepared.
To counteract her concerns about whether or not she would be able to use them, she decided to assume that Sensei had prepared them as something for the new housekeeper. As she checked the food, she noticed something.
“I’ve never seen this vegetable before…” She sniffed the jagged little leaves that she saw for the first time, and they smelled quite pungent. The grass in the bag next to it looked like something she’d seen growing around there by passing earlier.
‘This is…? Huh? His favorite plant? Vegetables? Oops. I should’ve asked him what kind of food he likes to eat…’
It can’t be helped. There’s no use brooding over it. It’s only natural that she doesn’t know much on the first day. She has only experienced working in two places so far. Neither of them would grasp their employer’s tastes from the beginning.
“Okay then. What shall I make?”
Anyway, she put aside the things she didn’t know how to handle and got up energetically with a bunch of potatoes and celery in her hands.