Volume 13 Chapter 237-2 Mary, For Everyone’s Smiles
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Just to clarify, we’re talking about something that happened over a decade ago.
”What the hell are you guys even talking about?! Habu Chiyoko’s policies stopped Japan from becoming just a tourist attraction and drastically improved our food self-sufficiency by focusing on the primary and secondary industries! Our food self-sufficiency rate is now over 120%! Damn it, it’s not just that Shirogane Aqua guy, that girl who kept bowing was suspicious from the start! And thanks to that Shirogane Aqua leading BERYL in agriculture, fishing, dairy farming, DIY projects, the primary industry is booming more than ever! Now they’re even doing factory tours on TV shows! Now, that guy! The seeds Habu Chiyoko planted back when she was just a Congressman are all paying off in a big way with Shirogane Aqua’s policies!! It was laughed off back then, but look at it now!! Aaaaaaahhhhh!!”
The chairwoman, listening to the committee members, snaps the pen they were holding in 2.
Ah, I want to record this whole scene and stream it on the bulletin board.
Around 3510, I wonder if it’s hacking into the surveillance cameras in this room.
Still, the chairwoman’s reaction is priceless.
I think even if you become unemployed tomorrow when this organization falls apart, you could totally survive as a reaction entertainer specializing in Aqua-sama.
”Chairwoman, at this rate, we should just eliminate Shirogane Aqua and Habu Chiyoko.”
”Eliminate Shirogane Aqua and Habu Chiyoko…?”
The chairwoman’s face turns blue with veins popping like a melon.
”If that could happen, we’d not be suffering like this, damn it!! Habu Chiyoko single-handedly storms a military base in the middle of a civil war, wreaking havoc and stealing a fighter jet just to make it back across the border! What the hell are we supposed to do about someone like that?! And Shirogane Aqua too!! The elite marine forces and the captain leading the mercenaries were pale just watching that incident!! The enemy was fully armed, yet he came out unscathed, barehanded! Even we amateurs think that’s crazy!! Not a wrinkle on his suit!! Is he some kind of Hollywood star?! No, it’s more believable he just jumped out of a film than that he’s an idol!!”
Back then, Aqua-sama looked so incredibly cool…
Next to me, my fellow committee members yank at their hair, their heads buried in their hands under those masks.
”Hah…hah… Well, put that aside for now. The real issue is that Shirogane Aqua just had a child. The lineage is problematic, but there’s something even bigger at play. As you all know, Shirogane Kanon gave birth to twins──one of each gender. Shortly after, the head maid Pegonia had a girl. With the sample size still small, we can’t make firm judgments, but… what if that boy’s seed is the key to correcting the gender ratio? Right now, we’re looking at a male birth rate of 1%. Just boosting that to 10% could drastically change the world. We need to keep a close eye on this matter.”
The committee rustles uneasily at the chairwoman’s words.
This topic is dominating not only Japan but the world’s news right now.
Maybe it’s not just Aqua-sama that’s special ── perhaps that seed is something extraordinary too.
The only ones not buzzing about it are the bulletin board dwellers, who are too obsessed with Shumi’s childbirth to think straight.
”Chairwoman, what if Shirogane Aqua’s seed really is special?”
”Japan, holding so much of that sperm──it’s only going to dominate even more. Yeah, a little is fine. But given the current global chaos, Japan’s tipping the scales way too much. This island country, cut off by the sea, doesn’t take in immigrants──until Shirogane Aqua appeared. Then suddenly, tons of women rush to apply for refugee and immigrant status. Japan’s throwing a fit and threatening to leave the United Nations just to pause those applications. Honestly, it’s a relief for us. When other nations see their populations dwindle from those visa and refugee requests, their power drops──distorting the global balance even further. Thanks to Japan’s move to suddenly stop immigration, the cultures like the States and Stars can breathe easy for once.”
The chairwoman, now calm again, leans on the desk, hands clenched in thought.
”Should we just send a strike team to steal Japan’s sperm?”
”No way. Shirogane Aqua’s sperm is locked deep inside Hogewave, protected by armed soldiers and a super-high-performance server. To break into a vault that even nuclear missiles can’t destroy, you need blood verification. Turns out, Yui Shirogane, in charge of that vault, chose to use the blood of Aqua, Chiyoko Habu, Kaede Morikawa, and Emily Yukishiro instead of her own. And to get that blood, you need a special container ── only Yui knows how to combine the samples for unlocking. So, you’d have to kidnap Yui, use that container, then gather blood from creatures──monsters──except Emily-chan, who’s a holy figure in the Aqua Religion. So, it’s impossible.”
Yeah, that sounds about right.
Plus, I’ve excluded monsters, but Emily-chan’s top of the Holy Aqua Religion──her security level isn’t much different from the others in difficulty.
”What if we hack the verification system itself? That way, we could just infiltrate Hogewave’s underground vault.”
”…Keep going.”
”How about deploying the RK57, developed by Deadroid Corp, to counter the Ultimate Hyper-Performance Server AI, 3510? Sure, AI3510 is undeniably advanced── but… thanks to its creators, there’s a playful side to its personality. According to Deadroid’s analysis, they found some bizarre settings──like a 90% honesty meter, 70% humor level──implying it might have been designed toward the singularity. Meanwhile, the RK57 from Deadroid is a specialized military unit──completely obedient to human orders. It won’t suddenly go haywire and cause chaos.”
”…Hmm. Worth considering. Very well, proceed with preparations.”
Things are getting pretty heavy, huh?
If I think ahead, it’s best I pretend I don’t know anything and stay out of it.
If I leak this info now, an investigation will start, trying to find out which org member spilled the beans.
I really don’t want to be the one excluded when that happens──suspicion always falls on me.
Because even if they shut this place down right now, the Women’s Mutual Aid Society isn’t going anywhere.
Actually, there’s a story from ages ago──when the Society was holding a meeting, a missile got launched, and everyone inside was wiped out.
But somehow, the organization kept going.
That’s because we’ve built a system that prevents that from happening again.
Still, if I don’t share this, someone might die in the defense.
Worst case, even if they steal the sperm, I just hope nobody loses their life──Aqua-sama wouldn’t stand for that.
So yeah, my choice is made.
Ugh, what a pain…
”We must continue to monitor everything related to Shirogane Aqua. Just to be clear again──if his sperm is some secret antidote capable of reversing the world’s imbalance, it could trigger a global war. Good medicine tastes bitter, but at this point, it’s a whole new story──A toxin that could lead to the world’s end──or a cure that saves humanity. Our job is to steer that choice in the right direction──Just like the comrades who’ve woven this world into existence.”
The chairwoman rises, and the council session ends.
The committee members, participating in the council, started whispering among themselves, probably thinking about what’s next.
I slide smoothly to my feet, blending into the background, and quietly make my exit.
There’s no point sticking around any longer.
Nothing more to gain here.
”Honestly, my role is just bad luck ── plain and simple.”
”Your Majesty──did you say something?”
Inside the charter plane, I smile softly at the loyal retainer sitting beside me.
”It’s nothing. More than anything, let’s hurry home. I can’t wait to see Kanoa and Anon’s face.”
And more than that──Aqua-sama and Emily-chan’s faces.
I want to see them all.
I don’t know how much time I’ve got left in this life, but I want to see everyone’s smile──while I still can.
That’s what keeps me going.
That’s what gives my life meaning.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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