"How is it, esteemed guest? Is this comfortable?"
Rita extended her slender hands, clad in black gossamer gloves. Her soft fingertips pressed into Ren Amamiya's back – who was lying prone on the sofa – with just the right amount of force. As Rita gently kneaded, her enchanting and tender voice combined with the pressure to create an almost ethereal sense of relaxation and comfort.
"Mmm... very good... a little harder..."
Ren lay on the soft, spacious, high-end leather sofa in Raiden Mei's home. He closed his eyes contentedly, burying his head in a throw pillow that carried a faint, girly fragrance.
Rita's exquisite and skillful massage techniques completely relaxed him. The exhaustion accumulated from a full day of constant running and fighting gradually melted away like spring snow under her touch. His tense body and mind began to unwind blissfully.
He had completely let down his guard against Rita, entrusting his safety entirely to the two Personas, Yae Sakura and Kallen, who were keeping watch in his mental space.
Schicksal's Valkyries weren't only tasked with fighting the Honkai. There were also departments responsible for handling clandestine affairs, such as assassinating deranged individuals who obstructed Schicksal's development or attempted to trigger Honkai Eruptions to destroy cities.
As one of Schicksal's only three S-rank Valkyries, Overseer Otto's personal "black glove," and a former world-renowned assassin, Rita possessed her own unique understanding of human anatomy.
She knew how to massage the human body to dispel fatigue, and she also knew precisely where to apply force to inflict a fatal blow.
Ren's completely unguarded and relaxed state caused a strange glint to flash in Rita's wine-red eyes. Her assassin's instincts made her gaze quickly scan over Ren's body.
However, Rita quickly retracted her gaze as if nothing had happened and continued massaging him according to his request.
Ren Amamiya was not a target for assassination. Quite the contrary, he was someone she needed to protect and observe.
Rita had no reason to harm Ren.
Moreover, after observing Ren for a long time and communicating with Overseer Otto, Rita had realized Ren had more than just the two eyes visible on his face.
Perhaps that Saint Kallen he had previously summoned to fight for him was currently watching her silently from some unknown, wondrous realm.
Speaking of watching...
Feeling the resentful and unwilling gaze from beside her, Rita's smile grew even wider. A mischievous urge welled up, and she deliberately, in front of Raiden Mei, gently caressed Ren's broad, firm back with her soft fingertips.
"The esteemed guest has such firm muscles all over. Have you been working out?"
Rita's pink lips drew close to Ren's ear, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe. This rather intimate gesture successfully made Mei's glare from the side even more sorrowful and indignant.
And Mei's highly reactive gaze, in turn, made Rita, the troll, smile even more gleefully.
"That's right, I work out every day... Your massage technique is excellent. It's a huge help."
Ren replied to Rita with his eyes closed.
Regardless of whether Rita Rossweisse was an enemy or not, her massage skills were simply divine. The fatigue from the successive battles was completely dispelled, like a godly technique that could grant an extra action point!
If Rita truly were a maid, Ren would definitely be a regular customer, specifically requesting her massage services!
"Rita has a friend who also enjoys unrestrained, frenetic training. To take care of that friend's body, Rita specifically learned techniques to soothe fatigue through massage from Victoria. If the esteemed guest's body stiffness were a little more severe, you'd almost be catching up to my friend."
Rita spoke casually to Ren, as if chatting about everyday matters.
After lightly patting Ren's back once to conclude the massage, she straightened her slender, snake-like waist, stood up from the sofa, and reached for the cleaning tools placed nearby.
"The massage time is over. If it lasts too long, it could cause harm to the body, which would be counterproductive. Rita will now proceed to clean these rooms. If there is anything else Rita can do, please do not hesitate to instruct Rita."
After lightly adjusting her slightly wrinkled maid skirt, Rita gracefully and elegantly curtsied to Mei and Ren, who had sat up from the sofa. Then, with great enthusiasm, she picked up her cleaning tools and slowly walked towards a corner of the house that hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
Rita's pure attitude—an intense dedication and interest in cleaning that radiated from within, completely unlike an act—made Ren, who had sat up, frown slightly, shaking his suspicion that Rita was an assassin sent by Cocolia.
No matter how he looked at it, Rita seemed like a professional maid who loved her work and had honed her skills to a pinnacle.
Whether it was the rejuvenating massage technique from before, or her current skillful and efficient cleaning, completing the room's tidying with extreme professionalism, all proved Rita was a top-tier maid, professional to the core.
Could such a professional and skilled maid truly be an assassin sent by the enemy?
That thought arose in Ren's mind. However, he didn't completely let down his guard. Instead, he silently questioned the Persona girls residing in his mental space.
[Sakura, Kallen, did you notice anything unusual about Rita just now?]
{As Sakura sees it, Miss Rita was merely focused on massaging Joker-sama to relieve fatigue. She made no attempt to harm Joker-sama.}
{Miss Mei was also helping to keep an eye on Rita from the side. She really didn't do anything strange. However, for a very short period, the way she looked at you, Ren, was a little odd. Perhaps... she was captivated by your charm?}
Yae Sakura and Kallen, who had been constantly monitoring Rita's movements on Ren's behalf, replied separately in their mental communication, neither having detected any abnormal behavior from Rita.
{Miss Rita's cleaning efficiency is very high. It must be a skill honed through daily, persistent cleaning. Sakura feels Miss Rita should just be an ordinary maid... However, if Joker-sama is still suspicious, Sakura has a way to help Joker-sama secretly monitor Miss Rita.}
{As long as Higokumaru is summoned, Joker-sama can command Higokumaru to possess modern electrical appliances and instruments in energy form, thereby observing Miss Rita's every move... Although Sakura doesn't understand it well, that's what Higokumaru said.}