Like a startled kitten, Shannon broke into a cold sweat. Her stiff body made her repeatedly fumble, producing harsh noises in the tense living room. Yet the more she made mistakes, the more nervous she became; and the more nervous she became, the more mistakes she made. Shannon wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
"It's all right, Natsuhi. What's wrong with exchanging a few extra words of greeting? We've been waiting long enough already. If the tea was going to go cold, it would have gone cold long ago."
"It hasn't gone cold."
"Shannon, hurry and serve the tea to the guests."
"Please excuse me, Madam."
The impatience on Natsuhi's face became increasingly obvious. The strange, tense atmosphere made Shannon even more nervous, and her hands trembled uncontrollably. Natsuhi was deeply dissatisfied with Shannon's performance. The tea had already been served late, and now Shannon had made a mistake in her fluster, further embarrassing them. This was no ordinary day. She was the one in charge of the Ushiromiya Family household, yet she had utterly lost face.
"Don't be like that, Natsuhi. Shannon has been trying her best. If you keep bullying her, she'll be too pitiful." Rudolf Ushiromiya apparently could not bear to watch any longer and spoke up to mediate.
"I'm not bullying her."
Natsuhi explained herself, while Kirie, sensing that the atmosphere was off, deftly changed the subject. However, turning a good intention into a bad outcome was not something Kirie had wanted either.
"This tea smells wonderful. Would it be convenient to tell me what kind of tea it is?"
"I'm terribly sorry. I'll find out immediately." Kirie had only meant well by changing the subject, but she seemed to have put Shannon in a difficult position instead. Shannon's