Male-Idol v13c301

Volume 13 Chapter 301 Powder Maniac, Veteran

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 "Word just came in from the other search team. Looks like they've found an escape pod. Fortunately, every passenger from the presidential aircraft is safe."

 "Yes!"

 "Alright!"

 "Shūkō! Shūkō!"

 The moment my words left my lips, Demon General, General, and Kitsuman—no, Saint—those three practically erupted with joy, slapping hands together, pumping fists in the air. I still had no clue why Saint insisted on pretending to be some lowly grunt among the common believers, but trying to guess at Saint's intentions with my small brain was pointless. If Saint had a script, I'd just play along. Knowing her, she was fully aware of what I'd already pieced together, and she probably had a deeper game in mind.

 "There's detailed footage of the escape, too."

 The presidential aircraft recorded every single moment on multiple high-resolution cameras, both in the main body and in the pods. The footage was preserved in onboard recorders. While keeping my hands steady on the helicopter's controls, I passed a tablet back to Saint and the others in the rear seats.

 "Why the hell did the security detail evacuate first while the three people who should've been protected were the ones fighting…?"

 "Demon General, don't overthink those three or Morikawa Kaede. Trust me—it's a waste of time," Saint replied smoothly.

 I nodded at her words. She was right. If Aqua-sama had ever been the sort of boy who needed protecting, he never would've gathered so many devoted believers in the first place. My thoughts drifted toward my own past.

 Agnese, boys are to be protected. That's why you must grow strong.

 Yeah, yeah, Mother, I got it already.

 Born into an upper-class household, I followed Mother's orders and became strong enough to protect any boy. Or so I thought. But no matter how strong I grew, just like girls have their preferences, boys did too. Every time I sat down for a marriage interview, the results were the same: they'd take one look at my narrow, glaring eyes, go pale, and either collapse trembling—or they'd catch sight of my sharp, jagged teeth and burst into tears before bolting.

 Mother, this is hopeless. I'll never find a marriage partner.

 Oh no, Agnese-chan, don't give up! Even if men are only one percent of the population, there has to be at least one boy out there who'll appreciate you for who you are!!

 Mother, even if such a miraculous boy existed, the odds of meeting him were astronomical. Still, giving up without trying wasn't my style. So I decided the best way to raise my chances, even slightly, was to become famous. Luckily, I had a knack for excelling at anything I tried.

 Gaming was my love, so naturally, I became a pro gamer in no time, racking up title after title. When I retired from the pro circuit, I turned to streaming, mixing in commentary on extreme sports that were huge in the States and Stars. And that, in hindsight, was my biggest blunder. My sharp tongue on stream scared off the very boys I wanted to attract. And those who saw me hurling myself into death-defying stunts in X-sports broadcasts only avoided me all the more.

 Mother, it's no use. I'll never find a husband.

 Agnese-chan, don't you dare give up! Look, even the battle royale games you play prove that you can never predict the ending. And when it comes down to it, you're strong—you'll be just fine!!

 Mother, real-life battle royales don't happen. You've been watching too many of Mikuni-sama's movies. I swallowed the tsukkomi [T/N: straight-man retort in comedy duos] that rose to my lips. By then I had long since abandoned any hope of men. Truth was, I liked strong men—not just physically strong, but with unbreakable hearts. But such men didn't exist in reality. Not even in the romance novels written by Hakuryuu-sensei could you find one. If there'd been even a 0.01 chance, I would've kept going. But zero? No way.

 So I put streaming on hold and took a trip to Japan to clear my head. And that's when I fatefully met him. Shirogane Aqua—the impossibly strong boy I thought could never exist.

 "Powder Maniac, incoming transmission."

 Tch. Seriously? Right when I was savoring my memory, someone had to cut in. I jabbed the comms button.

 'Powder Maniac, Aqua-sama has been confirmed safe. In response, Library is already moving to secure him. Your unit will resupply en route, then proceed to the next designated point.'

 'Understood.'

 I turned back and flashed a wide grin, baring my jagged teeth.

 "They've found Aqua-sama."

 "Yeahhh!"

 "Uoooooh!"

 "Shūkō, shūkō!"

 "Phew… so he's safe. Good."

 In the rear seats, Saint and the others clasped hands and celebrated. Yet amidst their joy, my eyes fell on one woman who remained calm—Kazami Tooko. She claimed to be a relative of the kunoichi [T/N: female ninja], but could she truly be trusted? If I recalled right, Kazami Rin, the kunoichi we knew, had broken ties with her clan and left the village.

 For me, the Holy Aqua Religion wasn't just faith—it was family. And if this woman ever threatened that family, I would show no mercy. Still… I couldn't deny her strength. I had confidence in myself, but against her? Not a chance. The only one who could match her was our own kunoichi. With that thought lodged in my mind, I guided the helicopter toward the supply point our religious order had designated.

 "Thank you for coming! There's something I must tell you all."

 At the supply point, a sister greeted us with a massive map. And that's where we learned of the enemy's outrageous plan.

 "We've received intel that this group of attackers is targeting the nuclear missiles held by Stars. The Holy Aqua Religion's forces are splitting into two—one heading for the bases in England State, the other for France State."

 If the missiles were online, Admin could interfere. But if someone went offline and punched in the launch codes directly, we'd be helpless. That had to be what they were aiming for. Bold—reckless, even.

 "So what's our role?"

 "You'll head in secret to protect the new-class cruiser, armed with nuclear missiles, that States brought here."

 "Got it. Leave it to us."

 I glanced at Saint for confirmation. Her face was hidden, unreadable, but silence meant consent. Unlike Demon General and General, who were visibly tense, Saint and Kazami Tooko absorbed the plan with unflinching calm. Veterans, clearly.

 "Um, and, well… headquarters also sent reinforcements."

 "Reinforcements? For our team?"

 The only ones with the authority to shove someone into my team were few. Outside of Saint, only a handful of Twelve Bishops—Library, Overseer, or Servant. So who—and why?

 "They're not a believer. They were dispatched by the Japan government."

 "Japan government?"

 I snapped my gaze toward Saint. She wasn't rattled in the slightest… which meant she'd already factored this in. As expected of Saint, her foresight rivaled even Mary Stars Goshenite, the Star Reader queen of Stars.

 Inside the tent, a woman in camouflage stood at rigid attention to greet us.

 "Pleasure to meet you, Holy Aqua Religion. I've been dispatched by order of the Japan government. Morikawa Momiji."

 Morikawa Momiji… wait, Morikawa Kaede's mother?! Now that I looked closely, the resemblance was undeniable.

 One of the sisters on site handed me her file. Former JSDF, Morikawa Momiji. But the record was too clean. Suspiciously clean. And according to this, she had resigned. So why was she here, under government orders?

 "Oh, that. I re-enlisted. Pulled some strings with some higher-ups."

 Pulled strings with higher-ups? That meant someone at the very top, with serious authority over the JSDF. And beyond that, to insert her into a Holy Aqua Religion mission under government directive—only two people could pull that off. Prime Minister Habu wasn't in any position to issue such orders. Which left only one answer. Sumeragi Kukuri-sama.

 [Special Mission Task Force / National Security Force — Special Advisor Morikawa Momiji]

 So it was true. Japan's whispered legend of a special unit outside all chains of command: S.M.T.F. Seeing her current assignment confirmed my suspicion.

 "Forgive me, but… Morikawa Momiji-san, what is Kaede-san's mother doing here?"

 "Oh, isn't it obvious?"

 She winked with one eye, then cracked her knuckles, both fists clenched tight. The sharp, crisp pop echoed like a prelude to trouble.

 Morikawa Momiji closed one eye in a playful wink, then clenched both fists until her knuckles cracked like splintering wood.

 "Because every single day my precious daughter is forced to smile while reading the news, crying on the inside. Whoever made her suffer—I'll drag them into a hell worse than death itself."

 At once, Saint traced the sign of the cross over her chest. Of course. Saint's heart was gentle as ever—already praying for the wretches about to meet their miserable fate.

 "Heh. You've never changed, have you, Momiji."

 "—!? That voice… Tooko!? Where the hell have you been all this time without a single word!?"

 Wait. Morikawa Momiji and Kazami Tooko… knew each other? Damn it! If only I had AI3510 right now, I could pull up that kind of background in a flash. But no, it just had to overheat and break down at the crucial moment! Sorry, Admin, but who in their right mind decided an AI needed a function to simulate runny noses in real time? What a useless gimmick! Forget snot physics—give me a proper cooling system next time!

 "I cast off worldly ties and lived in seclusion… but word reached me of an interesting man. I wished to meet him. This Shirogane Aqua."

 "You're telling me my daughter, who didn't even know about Master until recently, is abnormal? What kind of life have you been living, Tooko?"

 Kazami Tooko had apparently spent her life hunting in the remote mountains, away from the Internet, away from TV. She came down to town only occasionally, and with the Far East Federation and Belarus State cutting off outside information, it made sense she never had the chance to hear of Aqua-sama until now.

 "Oh? So Momiji's daughter ended up with him. Even more reason I must meet this man."

 "Fufu, careful. Aqua-kun is the kind of guy you know is a good man even without eyes to see him."

 "That only excites me further."

 At Momiji's words, Saint, Demon General, the General, and I all gave silent nods.

 "The helicopter's resupply is complete!"

 "Good. Let's move out. Powder Maniac, was it? I can handle the controls too—let's take turns and keep each other rested."

 "Fine by me."

 So it was Momiji, myself, and Saint—who'd picked up piloting in no time under our tutelage taking the chopper onward. Honestly, Saint really was something. She only ever downplayed it as "just gaming," but her instincts had her flying like a natural within minutes.

 "Should be coming into view any moment."

 "There!"

 Through my binoculars, I spotted the cruiser's deck. Scorched. Torn apart. It had already been hit.

 "Damn it—we're late!"

 "Look!"

 Another helicopter was closing in on the cruiser. Reinforcements for them? Like hell I'd allow it.

 "We'll fast-rope down and board the cruiser ourselves!"

 "No. First we thin their numbers. Powder Maniac—can you bring us closer to their bird?"

 "Of course I can. But what's the plan? We don't have missiles on this ride."

 Kazami Tooko only smiled faintly.

 "We'll use that method again. Momiji, ready?"

 "Always. But you—without your eyes, can you manage?"

 "It's no hindrance. Losing sight only sharpened the rest."

 I glanced at Saint. Her expression hadn't shifted a millimeter. That had to be her silent all clear. Yeah. Definitely.

 I pulled us in close, even as their gunners opened fire. Ha! Pointless. With perfect timing, I slid our bird right above theirs. No angle to shoot us now.

 "Don't underestimate me. I was a top X-sports streamer for a reason!"

 This wasn't some game, though. This was life and death. Same as X-sports. Same as gaming. Same as Aqua-sama. Hakuryuu-sensei, this—this is what you meant when you wrote about a love worth staking your life on, isn't it?

 I matched their tight turn with one of my own, sliding us into position right alongside their flank.

 "Well done. Leave the rest to us. Ready, Momiji?"

 "Okay!"

 And with that, both of them leapt bare-handed from our chopper and landed squarely on the enemy's.

 "Haah!"

 "Gyahhh!"

 Momiji twisted a gunman's wrist like it was a bendy straw. Raw power. Of course Kaede inherited that strength—it was in the blood.

 "Heh, I'll never, ever cross Kaede-paisen's family line. Nope."

 …Wait. Did Saint just mutter something? When I shot her a look, she sat there as serene as ever. Must've been my imagination.

 "What the—ugh!"

 "Relax. I used the back of the blade. And you call yourselves professionals? Don't whine."

 Tooko was terrifying. Deadly enough to kill without blinking, but steady enough to hold back when it suited her. That kind of control… exactly like our kunoichi.

 "Yeah, I'm groveling to the ninja when we get home, no question…"

 …Saint again? I turned my head, but her face was placid. Definitely just me hearing things.

 "All units, landing! Forcing it down on the deck now!"

 I set us down hard on the cruiser's narrow strip. Momiji leveled her weapon at the pilot of the enemy bird, forcing her out.

 "Urk…"

 The moment she stepped off, Momiji and Tooko dropped down too, then laid hier out cold with a single strike.

 "Now then, let's hijack this hijacked cruiser."

 Truthfully, Demon General, General, Saint, and I just stood watching. Those two were tearing through foes with overwhelming strength and skill.

 "Uoooooooh!"

 Momiji—barely 160cm tall—hoisted a woman over two meters like a pro wrestler and slammed her aside with one arm. Kaede's ridiculous strength… absolutely genetic.

 "Fufu. This is mom power. Mama Power."

 And not a soul dared offer the obvious tsukkomi.

 "Gyaaah!"

 "Guhhh!"

 Tooko drove the scabbard into her targets' guts, then pressed her boot on their faces as they writhed.

 "Forgive me. Can't see, after all."

 Liar. We all saw that precise stomp.

 "What the hell are these two—ugh!"

 "This wasn't in the briefing! Gahhh!"

 The enemies might've been trained, but our pair were masters beyond masters. I thought all the crazy ones had already flocked to the Holy Aqua Religion, but no—this world was bigger.

 Thanks to Momiji and Tooko's rampage, we carved our way to the cruiser's command deck.

 "Stop right there. Don't move."

 That must've been their commander. She smirked faintly, then pressed a button on her remote. For a heartbeat, my stomach dropped—missile launch?! No. Just a monitor control. The screen flickered to reveal crew members, locked in some chamber down by the keel. Water already rushing in.

 Damn it. If nothing was done, they'd drown.

 "Judging by your methods, you don't want deaths on your hands. Then you'll behave. Yes?"

 I thrust out a hand, signaling Tooko and Momiji to hold. If anyone would defy, it'd be them.

 "Good. Acting in line with your god's creed, just as I predicted. Keeping these women as hostages was wise. Now. Drop your weapons."

 We obeyed, laying down arms and sliding them across the floor.

 "Then, as promised, we'll halt the water. They're still useful to us."

 Another button press—and the flood stopped.

 "Oh, and you—the general, was it? Out of that powered suit."

 The General complied. For the first time I saw her real face. The commander snapped a photo, running it against some database.

 "…Chacha-maru. So you're one of the ones inside Morinaga Merry-san's unit."

 What!? The General—that close to Aqua-sama? And you mean to tell me he wears a mascot suit in real life too, then armor here? How deep does this costume obsession go…

 The commander moved on, scanning Demon General, then finally turned her eyes on me.

 "Agnese Taylor Czessic. Powder Maniac herself. Easy enough—you're the only executive with her real name and face out in the open. My daughter's a huge fan. You'll give her an autograph later, yes?"

 "Hah. I'll sign as many as you want—if you'll stop this nonsense."

 My offer only earned chuckles.

 "And this one—called Kitsuman. Who might she be?"

 And then, with a single motion, he ripped away the veil from the figure at my side. From Saint.

 "And this young lady they've been calling Kitsuman—who is she, really?"

 The enemy commander's hand snapped forward, ripping away the veil from Saint at my side. In that instant, not only Demon General and the General but even the enemy officers themselves gasped.

 "Hah! Well, well, this is a surprise! To think Yukishiro Emily herself was hiding as a mere follower of the Holy Aqua Religion."

 My breath caught. I'd learned the truth by accident once before, but among our ranks only a sliver of the upper brass even knew that Emily-sama was Saint. And now that it was exposed here, the realization hit me like lightning: had Saint planned on being captured all along? Was this whole act of blending in as a common believer part of some deeper, unfathomable strategy only she could see? Yes—that must be it.

 "Move it. And don't try anything stupid."

 We were marched at gunpoint onto the deck.

 "Alright. I'll be taking this one with me to London. Yukishiro Emily will make the perfect counterweight against Shirogane Aqua. The rest of you—hold this ship. And deal with those left behind."

 """Yes, sir!!"""

 Damn it. Even if this was part of her plan, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving Saint—leaving Emily-sama—alone while carrying her unborn child. Couldn't I at least follow her, just me? But then she turned to us, and her smile was soft, divine.

 "I'll be fine. So everyone… live, and we'll meet again. Don't worry. Somehow, it will all work out."

 Her words felt like a command: Don't you dare die. As her helicopter lifted from the deck and pulled away with the enemy commander at her side, I could only grit my teeth.

 "Alright, we don't need these others anymore. Kill them."

 Knew it. Muzzles swung toward us. My hands twitched toward action—yet if we made a move, the hostages trapped below deck would be slaughtered. My mind spun in circles. Damn it, what do I—?!

 Then the cruiser jolted violently.

 "Explosion in the lower hull!!"

 I didn't know who did it, but it was the break we needed. Without a second thought I lunged at the nearest soldier, the others—Demon General, the General, Kazami Tooko, Morikawa Momiji—diving with me to wrestle away their guns.

 "Bastard—!"

 Too slow. One enemy swung his rifle toward me. This was it. Saint, forgive me. I'm done for. I'm sorry we won't meet again alive… please, at least be happy in my place—!

 "Gh—!"

 The shot never came. The rifle flew aside as if slapped away by some unseen force. My eyes darted to the source.

 'This is Merry One, Merry One. Looks like Number Two is safe after all.'

 There, leaning out of a hovering helicopter, Merry-san steadied a sniper rifle. Wait—what?! Wasn't the real Merry-san supposed to be here? Why was there a second one? For a second I wondered if I was dreaming.

 'Powder Maniac, we've got your back! Alright, you lot, it's been too long since our last battlefield!'

 'Hyahhaa! My blood's boiling!!'

 'Forget the hostages! Our submarine squad already blew the lower hull and should be rescuing them by now!'

 A rope ladder dropped from the helicopter, and the first figure to descend—oh, hell no. That was the retired JSDF field marshal granny, the very one who lived next door to Aqua-sama's family. I'd heard she once helped Aqua-sama with farm work, back when he was just "that kid from the Saint Farmer." Damn it, she'd been retired for years—how the hell was she still this spry?!

 "Already seen my grandkids' faces—nothing left to regret!"

 "Foh-ho-ho-ho! Witness the fury of grannies with one foot in the grave!"

 "Don't underestimate the old bats Aqua-sama dragged back from the River Styx!"

 "You youngsters, what're you gawking at?! Move it! If us back-aching grannies are fighting, you'd better hurry your asses up!!"

 The old ladies swarmed the deck, slapping C4 charges onto the steel like they were hanging laundry. My gut sank. Damn it—they were using the enemy's plot as cover to pin the blame, planning to send this entire nuke-loaded cruiser to the bottom.

 "Powder Maniac. Tooko and I are going after Emily-chan!"

 "Right. You two handle that! I'll stay here and keep an eye on these grannies before they overdo it."

 Of course I wanted to go too—but I'd only drag them down. I clenched my fists. No, my job was clear.

 "Demon General, General! Move it! We've gotta keep those old bats from blowing the whole damn ship sky-high!"

 "R-right!"

 "U-um!"

 I led them off at a run, toward the hostage rescue. Saint… please, be safe. Let's live. Let's meet again.

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Notes:

• Tooko – Female. A relative of Kazami Rin who intervened to save Rin from her mother’s abuse. She has a stern appearance and is a skilled ninja. She took Rin under her wing, training her harshly but ultimately helping her grow stronger. Their relationship is complex, as Tooko was also responsible for Akimaru’s death.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.