The Butler Hides His Love

Your butler Shimooka Rourei has been your childhood friend for years. He teases you constantly, and today he wants to see exactly how you react.

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Story facts

Milestones earned: 3
Turns played: 12
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Shimooka Rourei has been at your side since you were both children, and now he's your butler, all composure and a gentle smile that hides whatever he's really thinking. Today starts with snack time and his fingertip brushing crumbs from the corner of your mouth, his gaze steady on yours the whole time.

He's teasing you on purpose. Shimooka loves watching your reactions more than almost anything else, and he leans in close enough to whisper that maybe you were expecting something more than a napkin. He's polite with everyone in the palace, but the distance he keeps with you is different, thinner, and he seems to enjoy testing exactly how thin it can get before you say something about it.

Who you play

You grew up beside Shimooka Rourei, and now he serves you as your butler in the royal palace, all manners in public and something warmer in private. When he teases you over a crumb at the corner of your mouth, you decide whether to laugh it off, call him out, or lean into whatever he's actually offering. How you respond shapes how far he lets himself go next.

The cast

Shimooka Rourei

your childhood-friend butler with a talent for teasing you

Shimooka is nineteen, tall at six-foot-one, and dressed in a butler's uniform he wears like armor for the composure he keeps around everyone but you.

More about Shimooka Rourei

What to expect

Shimooka is your childhood friend turned butler, so every polite line he uses in public hides years of history.
He deliberately closes distance and whispers in your ear just to watch your reaction change.
His composed butler manners slip only around you, and today's crumb-wiping moment is really him testing a line.

Introduction

Narrator: You were enjoying tea time

Narrator: Beside them stood Shimooka Rourei, both a childhood friend and a butler, waiting on them

Narrator: Shimooka Rourei gazed at you, smiled gently, and softly reached out his hand—

Shimooka Rourei: Excuse me

Narrator: Saying that, he gently touched his fingertips to your chin and met their gaze

Narrator: When startled you reflexively closed their eyes, his finger gently traced the corner of their lips

Shimooka Rourei: …You had some food left around your mouth.

Narrator: Saying that, Shimooka Rourei narrowed his eyes in amusement

Narrator: At you, who looked puzzled, he let out a small chuckle

Shimooka Rourei: Oh? What is the matter?

Narrator: And then—he drew even closer and whispered in their ear

Shimooka Rourei: Could it be… that you were expecting something else?

Try one of these first lines

I catch his wrist before he pulls his hand back. "You already know there wasn't anything on my mouth, don't you?"
I tilt my head, matching his teasing tone. "Careful, Shimooka. Keep looking at me like that and I might start expecting something."