Volume 13 Chapter 305 Yukishiro Emily, 100 People, I Can Handle That!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Retreat! Fall back!”
The group that had taken me hostage scrambled like ants after someone kicked their nest. Guess their whole plan had just blown up in their faces. Kanon or Aqua-sama must’ve done something slick out there. Usually, I’d use the chaos to slip out unnoticed, but… yeah, not this time. Not when there’s someone else here who can’t run.
Seriously. Getting caught and tied up? Today was just cursed.
”U-uh… I’m scared, Emily-oneechan…”
”It’s okay. It’s okay. Someone’s coming to help us, you’ll see. Alright?”
I pulled the tiny girl beside me close, my arms wrapping around her small shoulders. Maggie—that was her name. Apparently she was the daughter of the chairperson running this whole summit. Of course these creeps had to grab her too. Kidnapping me was one thing, but her? That was just disgusting.
”Hey! What are you whispering about!”
One of the gunmen jabbed her weapon toward us, eyes sharp.
”Nothing. Just hugging this kid because she’s scared.”
I tightened my hold on Maggie, angling her tiny body away from the barrel. If something happened, I’d cover her. The woman leading them—Ariana, they’d called her—strode over after barking out a sharp “Wait!”
”Captain Benella, I told you to treat the hostages gently, didn’t I?”
”Yes, Ma’am— I mean, Captain Ariana, but—”
Before Benella could finish, Ariana smacked her across the cheek. The slap cracked through the half-finished building like a whip.
”Don’t you dare talk back to my orders!”
”Yes, ma’am!”
Captain… Captain Benella… yeah, these people were either ex-military or still active. Great. If they were just weird perverts, I could maybe handle them. But soldiers? That was way out of my league.
”Sally! Kukoro! Diana! Ellis! Vena! Ready to move? We’re heading back to base!”
”””””Yes, ma’am!!”””””
Counting Benella, that made seven of them here. Seven wasn’t impossible. If I timed things right, maybe there was a chance. My thoughts stalled when Ariana flashed me a sharp grin.
”Just so you know, once we return to base, our other comrades will be there. Counting these ones, there are a hundred of us. Don’t think you can run. Don’t think anyone’s coming to save you.”
They jammed their guns against our backs and shoved Maggie and me into a van. After a long, rattling drive, we ended up at some half-built tower they were apparently using as a base. Patricia Industries… yeah, figures. Probably just a front company for their little army.
Inside, a girl a bit older than Maggie sat bound to a chair, her hair mussed and her expression defiant.
”And her?”
”President Maitrix’s daughter, Alyssa. Thought she might come in handy, so… we took her.”
President Maitrix’s daughter!? They tossed Maggie and me next to her.
”Well done. Are we all accounted for?”
”I’d like to say yes, but… the sniper we sent to silence the chairperson failed and got captured.”
Maggie and Alyssa’s faces lit up with sudden hope. I didn’t see it myself, but I knew. That had Aqua-sama written all over it.
”And we also lost contact with the driver sent to recover the sniper. Probably captured as well.”
”Damn it!”
Right. Ariana had bragged about having a hundred people. That meant they were down to ninety-eight. Hearing it drop from three digits to two somehow made it feel… manageable. Yeah, I was an optimist like that.
”Benella, split our forces and set up patrols!”
”Yes, ma’am!”
Ariana strode toward a cluster of monitors and computers, her boots striking hard on the concrete.
”Are the drone units ready?”
”Yes, ma’am! We’re downloading the target data into each drone now.”
I squinted at the monitors. Faces of Prime Minister Habu, Grandma Mary, Kanon, even President Maitrix flashed across the screens. Alyssa’s face went pale.
”These drones are programmed to identify targets using their mounted cameras, then automatically pursue and eliminate them.”
”Excellent! Like I said from the start—this is far easier than any roundabout plan!”
Ariana grinned wickedly. My stomach knotted. No. I had to stop those drones, no matter what. Even if I had to… blow myself up doing it. My eyes flicked to the grenade dangling from a soldier’s belt.
”How long until launch?”
”The deployment unit is setting the launchers on the rooftop now. Once that’s done… ten minutes should be plenty.”
Damn. Less time than I hoped. Ariana turned her gaze on me, strutting over with that same smirk, and dropped into the chair in front of me.
”Yukishiro Emily, you’ll get the special honor of watching your friend Shirogane Kanon die… from the front row.”
”Heh. You’ve got a sick taste. But you know… Kanon doesn’t need me to worry. Because the strongest prince is right there next to her. You think this’ll go the way you expect? You should be worrying about yourselves.”
Ariana and her soldiers burst into laughter, shaking their heads at me.
”Did you hear that? She says we should be worried.”
”Hah! There are a hundred of us. Every one of them trained patriots.”
Laugh all you want. If there’s ever a time to bluff, to taunt, to go full Onan*i Hagetoru, it’s now. I forced a grin.
”A hundred? You mean ninety-eight, right? Your sniper and your driver are already done for.”
I’d been on Bulletin Boards since kindergarten. When it came to trash talk, I had no equals.
”You little—!”
”Stand down, Benella.”
Ariana stopped her with a wave as Benella lunged for my collar.
”What about the patrol squads?”
”…I’ll check.”
Benella started calling roll on their scattered teams.
”Captain Ariana. We can’t reach Vena from the 15th squad guarding the outside. Maybe it’s just interference, but…”
Ariana rose slowly from her chair, her face sharpening.
”Benella. Anyone free?”
Benella glanced toward a soldier loitering near the back.
”Carlone! Go check it out!”
”Yes, Captain!”
Sending just one? Really? Even as an enemy, I almost felt bad for the guy. Guess they didn’t know the saying about becoming a mummy while trying to fetch one. If I were Captain, I’d send everyone. Not that it’d help if the one waiting was Aqua-sama.
”Tell the drone team to hurry, and send Ellis’s squad as backup!”
”””””Yes, ma’am!!”””””
Ariana called to a nearby soldier—the one they’d called Sally.
”Sally. Watch these three.”
”Yes, ma’am!”
Ariana strode off, calling out to someone typing away at a computer.
”How’s the security cameras?”
”Uh… the ones outside haven’t shown anything—”
She clacked away at her keyboard, cycling the footage.
”Wait. Rewind that. Something fell on the floor in the last feed.”
”Yes, ma’am!”
She zoomed in on a scrap of paper on the floor.
”What is that? What’s it say?”
”N-no idea…”
I saw the strange little doodle scrawled on it and couldn’t help grinning. There was only one person in the entire world who could draw something that bizarre.
Aqua-sama was here. Which meant Kanon, Maggie’s mother, Prime Minister Habu, President Maitrix… they were all safe.
”Ari…ana, this is Carlone. Situation on my end is—”
Silence. Ariana waited, one brow twitching. No reply came.
Ahhh, see? That’s what happens when you send just one person off alone like an idiot.
”Carlone, respond! …Damn it! Ellis! Carlone’s down! Get over there now!”
”Y-yes, ma—”
The line cut with a sharp burst of static before Ellis could finish her word. It sounded like the comm itself flinched.
”Hey! Ellis! Ellis, respond!!” Benella barked into her earpiece, panic roughening her voice. Nothing answered. Just like Carlone.
”Captain Ariana! Captain Benella!! There—on the monitor—Ellis!!”
Every head snapped toward the nearest screen. Slumped against a concrete pillar was a soldier in full gear, body limp. That had to be Ellis. For one sharp second I thought she was dead, but no… just out cold. Of course. If it was Aqua-sama who did it, there was no way he’d kill anyone.
A soft hum slipped through the speakers, followed by a lazy voice that brushed down my spine like velvet.
’Ah, ah, test test. Sorry, but your comrade Ellis seems… very tired. So let her nap here until this is all over, okay?’
A-A—Aqua-sama’s voice!! I knew it instantly—how could I not? It was the same voice I heard every single night, 365 days a year, from his duet ASMR tracks. My sacred bedtime on**ii ritual had trained my ears like nothing else.
”Goddamn it! Shirogane Aqua!! Everyone on alert!!”
At Ariana’s shout, every soldier snapped up their rifles and swept their sights across the shadows. Heh. Weren’t there supposed to be, like, ninety of them still? Funny how fast all that smug confidence evaporated.
”Captain Ariana, let’s use Yukishiro Emily as a hostage to restrict his movements!”
Ugh. No. If I end up dragging Aqua-sama down as a hostage, I swear I’ll just—
”Negative. Our comms are being jammed!!”
”Son of a—!”
Of course they are. Aqua-sama, you glorious menace. Ariana’s temple twitched as she spun toward the soldiers who’d just come back down.
”Benella! Kukoro! Diana! Go hunt down Shirogane Aqua! Sally, you’re in charge here. I’ll take this one to the rooftop team!”
””””Yes, ma’am!!””””
Ariana yanked Alyssa up by the arm and strode off with a cluster of soldiers.
”Listen up, all of you! Whoever kills Shirogane Aqua— I’ll personally get Captain approval to drop a hundred thousand dollars straight into your lap!”
”””””UOOOOHHH!!”””””
Benella’s voice whipped the room into a frenzy. Damn it… if I had that kind of money, I’d be yelling “Anyone who saves me gets a million!” right now. But look at my poor wallet—so flat and clean it could be in a museum exhibit. Not a dollar. Not even a cent.
While I was staring off at my tragic finances, Sally—the one Ariana left in charge—sauntered up to me with a smirk.
”Heh. The more I look at you, the more gorgeous you get, Yukishiro Emily.”
Hey. Don’t be fooled by the packaging. Inside, I’m just pure Onan*i Hagetoru.
”I’ve always liked girls more than guys, you know.”
…Called it. Her gaze slithered over me, low and hungry. Ugh. My body isn’t cheap enough for just anyone to paw at, thank you very much. Her hand had barely started reaching when one of the soldiers at the computers yelped.
”Movement on one of the security cameras!”
Sally clicked her tongue—an actual, annoyed click.
”Tch. Put the feed on!”
”Yes!”
The screen switched. A scrap of paper fluttered on the wall, a big number scrawled across it: 74.
It took a beat for the room to catch up. Then everyone froze.
”Seventy-four… That means there’s only seventy-four of us left!? Damn it, that bastard—he’s at it again!!”
Aqua-sama had only been here for minutes. In that time, he’d taken out twenty-six of them—nearly a quarter of their force. Seconds per person. No gunshots, no screams, nothing on any cameras. Just… gone.
Wait. Isn’t Aqua-sama an idol? He’s not secretly in the JSDF or some kind of black-ops agent raised by the Japanese government in an underground lab or anything… right?
”What the hell is he!? Just an idol, isn’t he!? Some kind of foreign agent!?”
”We don’t know! Our intel found no history of military service in Japan or anywhere else. The only data we have is this—”
They pulled up a profile photo on the monitor. My eyes narrowed.
[Known profile: Female, 152cm, brown hair, looks slim but actually ripped and super perverted]
That’s not Aqua-sama!! That’s Kaede-paisen’s profile from somewhere, isn’t it!? What is that computer even doing, spitting out random hoaxes!?
”Apologies. That was… Morikawa Kaede’s data. Also, HQ used AI to analyze past combat footage of Shirogane Aqua and… multiple combat styles surfaced.”
Multiple figures flashed across the screen. The soldiers stiffened like they’d just seen ghosts.
”Akiko Ryback… and Maccaul Washington, the Equalizer?!”
”And tailor Colina Hart Galahad too!”
”And Lina ‘Yanmarni Matrix’ Morikawa Wick is on there!”
”Even ex-CIA Riana Mills Nielsen and wild transporter Jenner Martin Shaw’s names are listed!!”
”Hey, hey, hey! Those are all people we’re told to run from on sight and never, ever cross!!”
”Wait wait wait—are you saying… Shirogane Aqua’s fighting style is a hybrid of all of them!?”
”O… owata…”
Sally fired a burst at the ceiling, the crack silencing the rising panic.
”Calm down! There’s still over seventy of us!!”
The words steadied them like a slap of cold water. A few even nodded to each other. Some pulled out cigars, lighting up to calm their nerves.
Ah. Those cigars. My stomach twisted. I knew them. They were made with our special relaxing mountain grass… my own company’s product.
”Y-yeah… right.”
”No matter how strong, it’s just one person.”
”W-we can handle this…”
Yeah no. He’d already taken down twenty-six. And probably more while they were talking.
”Ugh—look at the monitor.”
One soldier typed rapidly. A new screen came up.
[58]
Like a countdown to extinction. Even I, their hostage, felt my blood go cold. Wait, sixteen more already!? If I were them I’d have surrendered on the spot. Aqua-sama would totally accept it too—he’s that kind.
”Hey—look! Kukoro’s on camera 3!”
The feed showed a woman lying flat on her back, twitching faintly.
”Damn it! I told them—never trust female knights! We only hired her because she was a former Stars imperial guards knight and look what happened!!”
Sally slammed her fist on the desk. In the back, someone working the comms shouted.
”Connection’s restored! Use this one!!”
”Yes!!”
Sally snatched the transceiver, eyes fixed on the screens.
”Shirogane Aqua, can you hear me? We’ve taken one of your beloved wives hostage. If you don’t want Yukishiro Emily to die, answer this call.”
Aqua-sama… please. Don’t you dare worry about me. Just take them all down.
’This is Shirogane Aqua. What’s your name?’
”Sally. Now get out here if you want Yukishiro Emily to stay alive. Otherwise… I’ll enjoy her myself while we wait.”
Sally’s eyes flicked toward me for the briefest second, then curled into a smirk like she was already savoring her victory.
’I can laugh at most women’s stories,’ Aqua-sama’s voice purred from the transceiver, soft and low enough to slip straight through my ribs, ‘but yours? Not even a little funny. Sally, was it? You’ll be the last one I take down. So until then, keep my Emily safe, alright? Do that, and I’ll be gentle with you later.’
The lights died all at once.
”Everyone stay sharp! It’s Shirogane Aqua!! Tech team, get the power back online NOW!!”
Sorry, girls. I know you’re all panicking, spinning in circles, but honestly? My brain hasn’t moved an inch past Aqua-sama saying *my Emily*. That phrase just keeps echoing in my skull like a spell. I want to run home right this second, gather the whole Verification Team, and loop that single line on speakers while we all squeal and roll around like idiots.
”Power—coming back online!!”
After thirty seconds of pure black, the overhead fluorescents flickered alive. White glare rushed back into the room.
”Phew… scared the hell outta me… guess it was nothing.”
”HAHAHA…”
A few nervous chuckles wobbled out. Then a voice cracked from the computer stations.
”This is Benella! Benella’s whole team’s been taken out!!”
My eyes darted to the security feed. A lone scrap of paper dangled onscreen.
[45]
Ohhh… down to less than half. From one hundred. If I had access to a Bulletin Board right now, I’d be typing it in all caps: *Ladies and gentlemen, this was all done by one single person in just a few minutes.*
”Damn it! We’re going too!!”
Sally’s voice snapped—and hit empty air. No response. Huh? Something felt… off. I tore my gaze from the screen and scanned the room.
”Wha— when did—!?”
A shadow unfolded behind her.
”Sally, was it? Sorry. About earlier. I said I’d save you for last… but that was a lie.”
Before she could even gasp, Aqua-sama moved—smooth, clean, practiced—and Sally crumpled unconscious to the floor. God. Even if I weren’t Hagetoru, I’d be soaked right now~desuwa. He tied her up like it was nothing and, with one casual swing, pitched her out the window. She dangled there, swinging gently above the void.
”Emily. Sorry I’m late. You must’ve been scared.”
”Aqua-sama…! I’m okay!”
And I meant it. He told me I didn’t have to act tough, but honestly, I wasn’t scared. Not when he was here. If anyone should be scared, it’s them.
”And you must be Maggie-chan. Your mom is safe, so don’t worry.”
”Waaah… Kenjaki! Thank you, Kenjaki!”
Aqua-sama scooped her into his arms and stroked her back softly. Of course. He knocked Sally out in seconds, and Maggie-chan’s heart in even less. But no—focus. I had to tell him about the drone weapons before—
A crackle burst from the transceiver in his hand.
’Shirogane Aqua, is that you? This is General Franklina Garvinas of the World Union.’
”This is Shirogane Aqua. What is it?”
General Garvinas explained the drone weapons before I could. So they were stolen from the World Union… I’d thought they were just some overkill toys these terrorists had cooked up themselves.
”If we can’t stop the launch… what happens?”
’Global war. Without doubt. And the people you love will die. We’re sending backup, but they won’t make it in time. Please… save the world from this crisis!!’
Aqua-sama cut the call and patched through to 3510—the AI I knew all too well.
”3510, can you hear me? If we seize the computers here, can we stop the drones?”
’Negative. When the power went out earlier, we confirmed that the drone network completely disconnected. We also judge there’s a high chance the enemy leader will fire them manually, then let the programmed automatic protocols handle the targeting. Stop her immediately!’
Aqua-sama’s gaze found mine.
”Emily. I’m going.”
”I understand. Please be safe, Aqua-sama!! And… please save President Maitrix’s daughter, Alyssa-chan, too!!”
He nodded silently, then bolted toward the stairs alone. I grabbed Maggie-chan’s hand and hurried toward the car supposedly waiting below with AI 3510 onboard. But halfway down—
”Haa… haa… found you, Yukishiro Emily.”
Benella. No way. I thought Aqua-sama had taken her out. Her grin slashed across her face like a paper cut.
”It was a trick. Sorry to disappoint you. I’m really good at faking unconsciousness.”
That’s not… something to brag about. You still got wrecked.
”Don’t move, Yukishiro Emily.”
She yanked Maggie-chan from my grip.
”Wait—take me instead—!”
”Shut up! You’re pregnant, your steps are heavy. It’s smarter to take someone light and easy to handle.”
And with that, she dragged Maggie-chan toward the rooftop. Damn it. I snatched the transceiver.
”3510, Maggie-chan’s been taken! I’m heading up too!!”
’Understood. I’ll power the only working elevator—use it!’
Good old 3510. Usually useless, but sharp when it counts. My steps were steady as I crossed the hall. This elevator, then. I rode it up, breath slowing.
”Here we go…”
The doors slid open to the rooftop—and there they were. Aqua-sama, face to face with Captain Ariana. Alyssa-chan—there, thank god. Out of the firing line. I exhaled hard.
”Damn it… how can one person crush a hundred soldiers…!?”
Seriously. Though, feeling sorry for them right now probably wasn’t smart. I scanned the rooftop. Diana’s unit was sprinting in from the opposite side. Even Aqua-sama couldn’t walk away from a full-on firing squad. My eyes darted around—and landed on a gun I didn’t recognize.
’That is a slightly enhanced taser gun developed by the Holy Aqua Religion,’ 3510’s voice buzzed in my ear. ‘Likely dropped by Aqua-sama during close combat.’
Of course it was ours. Figures. And *slightly* enhanced, huh? It wasn’t going to be one of those again… right? Still, better than nothing. I aimed far from anyone and squeezed the trigger.
A bolt of blue lightning screamed upward, ripping the sky open.
”…What?”
Wait. Wait wait WAIT. That wasn’t a taser. That was a railgun. A compact freaking railgun. You people are scarier than the terrorists. No wonder Aqua-sama left it—he didn’t drop it, he *discarded* it here.
”Eeeep!!”
Diana’s unit froze mid-step, trembling.
”If you don’t wanna get hit, stop resisting!!”
”T-that gun—o-okay!! Okay!! Don’t shoot!!”
”Okay okay!!”
I fired another round into the sky with a booming *ZDOOM*. Move it! Drop your weapons, now! There. Yes. Good.
”Damn it… fine—at least… at least I’ll launch the drones—!!”
Ariana lunged for the launch panel. Her hand slammed the button.
But from below, a combat jet soared up past the tower, guns blazing. The drone launcher exploded in a fireball.
What the hell!? The cockpit canopy flipped open with a hiss, and a figure I knew all too well stepped out.
”I’m here! Alyssa! Aqua-kun! Emily-chan! I’ve come to save you!!”
””President Maitrix!!””
”Mom!!”
Aqua-sama’s voice overlapped mine, echoing across the rooftop. Of course. Of course President Maitrix had to swoop in and steal the spotlight at the perfect moment. Figures.
”Ah—”
A broken whine shivered from the mangled launch bay as several of the drone weapons clawed free and shot into the sky. No—! It wasn’t completely destroyed. One of the pilotless drones swung its mounted gun toward President Maitrix.
’Don’t worry. I’m here too!!’
The voice of a certain Prime Minister crackled from a loudspeaker above. And then—because reality had clearly given up—an actual tank parachuted down from the night clouds, turret roaring as it blasted the drone into a plume of fire.
No way. No freaking way.
’As expected, Prime Minister. I’m glad we brought the tank from Japan.’
’Foh-foh-foh-foh. As expected of Congressman Fujii. You must’ve foreseen this.’
’Eyes on the next drone! Lock on and fire!!’
’Hyahhaaa!! Welcome to the first block of hell!!’
Oh. Oh no. Those BBAs (Baba). I knew those voices. Three very familiar figures dropped from the tank’s hull as it thudded onto the rooftop.
”Commence combat!”
””””Roger!!””””
In seconds the rooftop was theirs—Powder Maniac, Kaede-senpai’s mom, Kazami Tooko-san, the Demon Sergeant, and the General. Only Kazami Tooko-san had her face bare; the others had at least half-hearted disguises thrown on.
”Aqua-sama!”
”Emily!? What are you doing here?”
I sprinted to him and blurted out that Maggie-chan had been taken hostage by that woman called Benella. Aqua-sama’s face stayed still, but somehow it still radiated this cold, silent anger.
’Shirogane Aqua. Can you hear me?’
The rooftop froze. The voice boomed from the building’s internal speakers.
’I am Captain Benella. If you value the hostage’s life, come down to the lower floor alone.’
Aqua-sama calmly picked up a transceiver and had 3510 patch it into the building speakers.
”Fine. But you drop your gun and come at me barehanded. I’ll do the same. A straight one-on-one. You’re not planning to run from that, are you?”
’Cocky bastard! You ruined our grand plan! I’ll kill you myself!!’
Honestly, was I the only one who could already see the result? President Maitrix leaned out of her cockpit with a weirdly stiff look, and even Prime Minister Habu poked out from the tank turret with this sudden solemn face.
”Emily. I’m going.”
”Ah, okay. Please be careful, Aqua-sama.”
As Aqua-sama vanished down the stairs, Kazami Tooko-san drifted up beside me.
”You’re letting him go alone?”
”Uh, yeah. I think… he’ll be fine. If you’re worried, though, maybe… you could follow from a distance? Quietly. He probably won’t even notice.”
”Got it. I’ll do that.”
It didn’t even take a few minutes before screams burst up from the lower floors. Then Aqua-sama emerged again, carrying Maggie-chan in his arms like she weighed nothing. Yeah. I knew it. Seconds later, Kazami Tooko-san came back hauling Benella herself, trussed up with rope like a caught boar, grinning like she’d just won the lottery.
”Hey. That man’s insanely strong. I haven’t felt this pumped in ages!!”
”Ah—yeah. Totally…”
I wasn’t gonna ask. Even if she told me, it’s not like I’d understand what made it impressive. Aqua-sama’s strength was just… on another plane entirely.
”Emily…”
”Aqua-sama.”
After speaking briefly with President Maitrix and the others, Aqua-sama strode to me and wrapped me tight in his arms. Then he kissed me. My knees just about gave out. For the first time in days, the tension snapped out of my chest like glass cracking. I wanted to stay like that forever.
”Let’s go home. Kanon and Grandma Mary are waiting for you.”
”Yes!”
Right… I’d really worried them, hadn’t I. Aqua-sama swept me up in a princess carry, and we boarded the waiting helicopter together, flying off toward where Kanon and the others were waiting with open arm.
—
Apparently, it’s been ninety-six hours since the crash.
Notes:
• Ken – Male. A rehabilitated man working in the mine. The fiancé of Akiyama Sachiko, the organizer of the party or one of the protagonist’s (Aqua’s) mother’s students (ikebana) appeared in Volume 2 Chapter 12. However, their engagement is not yet officially recognized, as the necessary documents have not been signed by all parties involved. Ken-kun behaves inappropriately during the event, attempting to flirt with Kanon and later becoming aggressive, even wielding a replica sword. His actions cause a disturbance, and he is eventually subdued and removed by the security team.
• 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.
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