Volume 13 Chapter 328 Shirogane Aqua, A Thank-You for Everyone who Tried Hard
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Right, I have to turn myself in!
After the Halloween event ended, I was resting at home when I remembered that I should report myself. The dangerous driving and the fighting at Stars were real crimes. I should take my punishment and make things right.
I stood with a serious face, but Kohina-senpai, who had just come into the room, blocked the door.
”You’re thinking of something silly again!”
How rude! I live a very honest life every day, thank you very much! I told Kohina-senpai that I was about to go and turn myself in.
”See? I knew it was something silly. More important, there are many kids you must give a reward to!! Come on, move!”
She grabbed my hand and pulled hard. By the way, Kohina-senpai is usually lazy on the sofa, so where was she until now?
”W-wait a second, Kohina-senpai.”
”Hurry up!”
She pressed my arm between the soft line of her chest. Curse it! My male instincts woke up and I could not fight back!
”Sit here and wait!”
I sat on a chair she had prepared. Then she walked off somewhere. My sleepy senses suddenly became sharp.
”No way… is this a ‘Berry-Berry’ setup!?”
I stood and searched the room for a camera. Last time, after a tasty event, they eased my guard and caught me in a trap. It was a common trick the Berry-Berry staff used.
”…Strange. No camera?”
I thought Kohina-senpai wanted payback, but it seemed not. As I stood with my arms crossed, I felt someone behind me.
”Um… is something wrong?”
”Oh, Suu-chan.”
Maybe the kid who should get a reward was Suu-chan? She helped with world peace as the Far East Federation’s representative when the world meeting happened at Stars.
While I thought about that, Kohina-senpai peeked in and held up a cue card to me.
[Ask what reward she wants!!]
I nodded and walked to Suu-chan.
”Suu-chan, thank you for last time. Is there something you want me to do for you?” I asked.
”Eh? For me? But… what I did at the world meeting was for my country and our people, so I don’t think I should get a reward…”
She looked sorry.
”You don’t have to hold back. You worked hard.”
”Ah, thank you…”
She looked at my face for a long moment. Come on, say anything you want. I can only do what is possible for me, but Shirogane Aqua can make the impossible possible too!
”Th-then… please hug me tight and say I did well.”
”OK, that’s easy.”
I hugged Suu-chan, patted her head, and praised her again and again until her face turned bright red.
”Thank you. But it was a little embarrassing…”
I gently stroked her head.
”You don’t need to ask for something like this. I’ll do it anytime. But… are you sure this was enough? You can ask for something more, even something expensive. Don’t be shy.”
”Yes, this is fine. But… if I really don’t have to hold back, then… when I grow up, I want you to do the same things you do with the older ladies with me!”
Th-that… means that, right? I looked at tiny Suu-chan. She took a photo from her pocket.
”Um… please look at this.”
”O-oh…”
I stared at the photo. A very pretty woman with long black hair in a China dress. She was slim, but her body had lovely shape, and her legs and healthy underarms were very tempting.
”That’s my mom. I look a lot like mom when she was young, so maybe I’ll be like her when I grow up…”
”Suu-chan,” I said and held her hands gently. It would be a lie to say I had no other thoughts. No! As a man, I should not deny pure feelings like this!
”All right. If you still feel the same when you are an adult, then I will answer your feelings.”
Behind her, Kohina-senpai waved a card with “dummy, dummy” on it, but I ignored her. Hey! If you’re a stage hand, don’t show yourself so much!
”Thank you. Then I’ll call the next person.”
She put her mother’s photo back in her pocket and left. After a short time, Shams-san walked in.
”Um… I was told to hurry here…”
When she saw me, she quickly fixed her clothes. She was in room wear, so maybe she had been lazy in her room too.
”Shams-san, thank you for last time. Is there something I can do to thank you?”
”Eh? Ah… but that was for my people and my country…”
She stopped her words. Someone tapped a cue card with a pen. Kohina-senpai, stop getting in the way… wait! Manaat-san!?
Manaat-san, with a serious face, tapped the card many times with her pen.
[Make a baby! Get pregnant! Plant seed! Mate!]
Her Majesty Shams turned very red when she saw it.
”Um… well…”
She looked up at me with wide eyes. Before she could say more, I already showed with my whole body that I was ready.
”Since it’s a special chance, I want to go out with Fi and Manaat-neesama. We never had a chance for the three of us to go out together back there… Ah, Aqua-kun!?”
I slapped my own cheek as hard as I could. It was a lesson and a warning for the impure thoughts I had a moment ago.
”A-are you okay?” she asked.
”I’m fine. More important, Shams-san, leave it to me. Let’s go out together next time, all four of us! I’ll show you Japan!”
Her face lit up at once. I felt sure I could face even the Arabian Peninsula States if it meant protecting that smile. So please, never become her enemy. It would be bad for your country too.
”Thank you! I’ll look forward to it.”
Shams-san said that and left with a shy face. Outside the room, I heard her talking with Manaat-san.
”I’m happy we can go out as sisters, but you must push harder at a time like that!!”
”Manaat-neesama, if Aqua-kun was here, tell me first! Ugh, I should have at least fixed my hair.”
Their talk made me smile. Come to think of it, Shams-san always worried about the silly hair sticking up on her head. I thought it was cute.
While I waited, Kohina-senpai came in next.
”Oh? Do you also want a reward, Kohina-senpai?”
”No, I’m going to fetch the other three. You wait here.”
She left again. Um… how long do I wait? While I wondered, Rin-chan came in wearing a maid outfit.
”Aqua-sama, what are you doing de gozaru?”
”Oh, Rin-chan.”
Maybe Rin-chan was one of the kids who should get a reward? While I thought that, someone peeked in—not Kohina-senpai, but Emily, who held up a cue card.
[Please give Rin a reward too, because she protected the Shirogane Kingdom while Aqua-sama was away!!]
I see. In that case, leave it to me!
”Rin-chan, thank you for protecting everyone while I was away. By the way, is there something you want me to do?”
”It was part of my work de gozaru. I received pay for it de gozaru.”
Rin-chan was so serious. I shook my head a little and held her hand.
”This is about feelings. If there’s something I can do, tell me.”
”Th-then… I want to visit the pancake shop in the Shirogane Kingdom’s town that people talk about de gozaru.”
Her sweet request made me smile. At the same time, Emily, who watched from the door, held up another card with tears.
[Aqua-sama, I made the recipe for that pancake shop’s pancakes. I will bake the softest pancakes for Rin, so please come together!!]
Emily, you’re amazing. I always wondered how she saved money to open her small eatery, but I guess this was how… By the way, what happened to that place? Now that I think about it, I never visited her eatery after it opened.
”Got it. Then let’s go eat together next time.”
”Yay! I look forward to it de gozaru. Now I must return to my work de gozaru.”
Rin-chan did a small victory pose and left without a sound. Right after, Rinon-san entered the room.
”Um… I was told to come here…”
Emily showed me a cue card. It seemed Rinon-san also guarded the Shirogane Kingdom with Rin-chan while I was away.
”Rinon-san, thank you for protecting the Shirogane Kingdom. Is there something I can do to thank you?”
”No, it was within my work, so it is fine.”
Rinon-san looked firm. Why were Rin-chan and Rinon-san so serious and without wants?
”Don’t hold back. Think of it like a small bonus. Come on, okay?”
”In that case…”
She paused to think for a moment.
”To keep my skill as a sniper sharp, I will hunt bears as a part-time job soon. Please help me.”
”Leave it to me. That’s my area.”
Back in my past life at the idol agency, during running training, they made us imagine meeting a bear, and then one day I really fought a man-eating bear in the snowy mountains. It was tough training, but I beat it with a brainbuster, a German suplex, and a piledriver in a row. Then, with my group, we cooked bear nabe and ate it while crying under the freezing sky to stay alive. Good memories.
Speaking of bears, I remembered how Kaede went to report on wild animals that came down to the town. But when she arrived, all the animals went back to the mountain. Was that true? Announcer Onidzuka said that because of that, Kaede gets sent to a Tohoku or Hokkaido station once a year. It sounded like a joke, but Emily, who stood next to me then, said with a straight face it was real.
”Well then, I look forward to it! I will now return to my duty as guard captain.”
Rinon-san saluted and left. At the same time, Shintaro, Toa, and Tenga-senpai entered the room.
”Aqua, we were called here by Kohina Yukari-san, but what do you want with us? Did you cause a big problem again…?”
”I’m sure that’s it. Aqua, you did something again and made Kanon-san or Kohina Yukari-san angry, right? Come on, I’ll say sorry with you, so be honest and apologize, okay?”
”Yes! If that is the case, I will help too!!”
Why did all three act like I always caused trouble? I don’t mess up that often!
”No, I just thought I should thank you three again…”
The three boys looked at one another, surprised, then smiled at me.
”Oh, that. Don’t worry about it, my friend.”
”Yeah. We’re teammates. It goes both ways.”
”That’s right, junior. You should rely on me more!!”
Heh. I rubbed my nose with my finger to hide my joy and shyness. These three were truly my best friends.
”But since we’re here, let me do something for you.”
”In that case… come here, my friend!”
Tenga-senpai opened his arms wide with a serious face. …This meant he wanted a hug, right? I opened my arms and hugged him tight.
”Good. This is enough. We are brothers.”
Tenga-senpai, you got this from a movie again, didn’t you…
”Haha, I’d be so happy if you were my older brother.”
”Really!? I always wanted a younger brother like you!”
Next was Shintaro. He smiled a little and opened his arms like Tenga-senpai.
”Come here, my friend.”
”Yeah!”
I hugged Shintaro too. You can’t be shy at times like this.
”Shintaro, I was so happy when you guys came for me that time!”
”Me too. I was so happy you were alive, Aqua. Not that I ever thought you were dead.”
We stepped back and bumped fists. He had become so strong. I almost cried. Toa saw that and spread his arms for me.
”Can’t help it. Come here, Aqua.”
”Oh.”
I hugged Toa, rocking a little side to side.
”Toa… you did great.”
”If everyone works hard, I can’t be the only one who doesn’t, right?”
But you were the first to say we should go. Your push helped me, helped all of us.
”Hey, everyone, don’t just watch. Come here.”
Toa looked toward the door. The people who had been peeking came in.
”Maruo! Kujaku! Hajime! Nobu-san! Moja-san! And even Tsuwabuki-san, Kamohashi-san, and Rihito-san!!”
I heard they had helped when Toa, Shintaro, and Tenga-senpai left the country. Riding the mood, I hugged everyone and we all shared the joy of meeting again, safe.
”Well then, Aqua. We’re heading home!”
”Yeah, get home safe!”
I watched the boys leave. A little after, Yui came in.
”Yui! I heard you helped everyone leave the country. Thank you so much!”
”No, it was for Aa-sama.”
I pulled Yui into a tight hug.
”Yui, is there something you want me to do for you?”
”…Yes!”
Her cheeks turned pink. I quickly fixed my clothes. I knew what she wanted, so I waited with excitement.
”Well then, after last month’s incident, the school trip, and the Halloween fest, the… extraction duty has been delayed, so I would like to squeeze a lot out of you now!”
”Eh?”
T-that…? I didn’t hate it, but I thought she would ask for something more romantic between a man and wife… What? Work is important? Ah, yes… right…
Yui held the extractor tool with a happy face. I could not say anything to her.
”Dummy.”
Kohina-senpai, who had been watching from the door, stuck out her tongue at me, then left with a smile. Kohina-senpai… thank you too. But since I have already looked after you a lot since coming back, no reward for you!!
—
And so, this is a reward chapter for those who worked hard.
Pegonia-san, who participated in the defense, and Kanon, who came to Stars, have already received theirs, so they are excluded this time.
Also, Mary-sama is sly, so we assume she already received her reward at Stars.
Aqua: “Right, I have to thank Furia-sama too!!”
Kanon: “I have a bad feeling about this, so I think it’s better to stop… yeah…”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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