Volume 6 Chapter 9 Cause Unknown?
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Meanwhile, at the secret Gate base in the Nevada desert, Sheena, Saran, and Dr. Mathius stood vigil in the Gate Room to welcome the royal party. However, following the Princess’s arrival, Akari did not appear. Princess Shushu-ria was beginning to spiral into a panic.
”Princess, please calm down. It’s going to be okay. The Queen Mother probably just got nervous and ducked into the restroom,” Saran said. She pulled the anxious Shushu-ria into a hug, rubbing her back to soothe her.
”But Saran! Zau-san went to check on her and hasn’t come back yet. It’s been over an hour! What if the Gate on that side exploded?!” the Princess cried.
”The Gate is fine, Princess. Telemetry shows it’s operating normally. If you’re that worried, you could always head back yourself,” Sheena said. Shushu-ria didn’t answer.
Suddenly, the Gate began to glow. Zau and Karua emerged from within. It was a relief to see the Gate was still functional, but Akari was still nowhere to be found. After receiving an explanation of the situation from the two men, Sheena’s face darkened.
”I knew that mana dip ¹ earlier felt wrong. What the hell was that? The concentration is slowly returning, but for a moment, it looked like the mana around here was being sucked into the other world,” Sheena muttered to herself.
”So, Ms. Sheena, what’s the plan?” Saran asked.
”What else can we do? The Queen’s judgment is final: the Princess doesn’t go back until we find the cause. Akari seems to be safe for now, so until the next set of instructions arrives, we just have to deal with it,” Sheena replied.
”I suppose… you’re right,” Saran said, steeeling her resolve.
”Sheena, have we decided on a course of action?” Dr. Mathius asked.
”Yeah. It looks like Akari won’t be able to make it for a while, and the Princess is grounded here until we understand the mana depletion. We’ll proceed with the Spirit Clan ² duo’s enrollment at AWCC ³ as scheduled. As for the Princess… I suppose Tomori will just have to pick up the slack and handle Akari’s workload,” Sheena explained.
”Understood. Well then, Princess, would you mind putting this on?” Dr. Mathius asked. She held out a red, heart-shaped ear ornament that looked like a delicate earbud.
”Oh! It’s so cute!” Shushu-ria exclaimed. She asked Saran to help her clip it onto her earlobe.
”This is a real-time AI translator. It handles most Elven dialects. It also has a subtle optical camouflage function; it’ll blur your ears so that people won’t notice them unless they’re looking very closely,” Dr. Mathius said.
”Amazing! I can understand the old lady’s words! Now I can actually talk to the people here!” Shushu-ria chirped.
”Princess, calling her an ‘old lady’ is rude. This is a famous scholar; you should address her as Professor,” Saran corrected.
”Saran, you’re acting just like Granny Akari…” the Princess grumbled.
”Haha, I’m just glad you like it. But be careful, Princess-that’s extremely expensive. Don’t lose it. Now, let’s go meet your host family. Akari’s daughter, Tomori, will be taking care of you,” Dr. Mathius said.
”Yes! I’ll be in her care!” Shushu-ria replied with a smile.
* * *
”The Princess is late.”
”Yeah. Sounds like there was some trouble.”
I was waiting in a secure room at the Nevada base with my parents.
”George, really… you should have told me sooner that Mom was coming back here,” my mother, Tomori, said.
”Look, it wasn’t certain until the very last second. I wanted it to be a surprise,” my father, George Anderson, replied. As they talked, a staff member from AWCC approached my father and whispered in his ear. Dad’s face turned pale.
A short while later, Dr. Mathius poked her head in.
”Sorry to keep you waiting. The Princess is here.”
My mother and I both sighed in relief. Then, following Sheena and Saran, an Elven woman entered the room.
Wait. This is Princess Shushu-ria? She was supposed to be eleven, right? But she looked way older than me. She wasn’t quite as tall as Sheena, but she was well-developed, with a soft, curvy figure. I was probably staring a bit too intensely when Mom suddenly shouted.
”Where’s my mother?!”
That’s right. Grandma Akari was supposed to be with her.
After hearing about the situation on the other side, Mom broke down in tears.
”Why…? Why is the exact opposite of what happened with Yuuta happening now? She can’t come…?”
As Mom sat on the floor crying, the Princess hurried over and hugged her gently.
”It’s okay. Granny Akari is going to be fine. Once she’s better, she’ll come running. She’ll probably be so worried that I’m getting into trouble that she’ll wake up just to scold me.”
”Princess… ‘Granny’… thank you. I was just so disappointed, but I feel a little better now,” Tomori said.
”I’m glad. You’re Tomori, right? You look a lot like Granny Akari. It’s nice to meet you. I am Shushu-ria, daughter of Asuka and Yuuta,” the Princess introduced herself.
”Yes. Welcome, Princess Shushu-ria,” Tomori replied.
”Tomori, Halt, listen to me,” George said. “There’s been a malfunction with the Gate. Akari won’t be able to come for a while, and the Princess can’t return until the cause is found. The plan has changed. The Princess will be staying with us, the Andersons, for the time being. I’ll need your help.”
Mom agreed, and of course, so did I. But man… I didn’t expect the Princess to be so stunning. Living with her, Sheena, and Saran at Grandpa Kashiwagi’s place in Okinawa? This might be too much for me to handle.
* * *
”Karin! Is Akari really okay?!” my father shouted over the Magic Communication Device.
”Yes, Dad. She’s still unconscious, but the doctors say her life isn’t in danger. When she came out of the Gate, I was worried her body had literally broken down, but the Demon Clan healers have been working tirelessly. She looks fine on the outside now, but they still need to do tests on the invisible stuff-nerves, muscles, and blood vessels. I’m staying with her for now, but I’ll call if anything changes,” Karin replied.
”Right. I want to fly over there right now, but… I’m counting on you, Karin,” he said.
It had been two days since the accident. Puruun had arrived at the Imperial Capital to help, so I was finally able to update Dad. That Gate is never easy. I’m worried about Shushu being left alone in that other world, but with Tomori there, it should be fine. For now, I’ll just pray for Mom’s recovery.
* * *
Zerlant Royal Palace
”Is this true, Claudel?” the Queen asked.
”Yes, Your Majesty. We have no hard evidence yet, but the senior mages at the Magic Bureau believe the failure Akari was caught in might be related to that matter. It’s still just a theory,” Claudel replied.
”Does that mean we finally have to conduct a proper investigation?”
”It’s hard to say. It happened so long ago that no living Elf remembers it, and the records are unreliable. Honestly, I’d like to ask the Spirit Clan for help, but if we bring it up at the Three Tribes Council, they might be difficult to work with given the history,” Claudel explained.
”Then we may have no choice but to have Karin ask Fedelate directly,” the Queen mused.
”Perhaps. But with Akari still unconscious, it’s a lot to put on Karin right now,” Claudel noted.
”True… but we can’t leave Shushu-ria unsupervised over there forever. Perhaps we should ask for his help,” the Queen suggested.
”Whose help?”
”Yuuta’s, of course,” the Queen replied.
”Ah, right. If Yuuta can look after Akari, then Karin will be free to negotiate with the Spirit Clan,” Claudel said.
”Exactly. Once Akari is stable, we’ll arrange for her to recover in the Kashiwagi territory. It’s a tragedy that it happened this way, but they can finally be together. Though, knowing I’m the reason they were separated in the first place makes me hate myself,” the Queen sighed.
”Don’t blame yourself, Your Majesty. If you do, Shushu-ria will become a princess born of regret,” Claudel consoled her.
”…You’re right. Claudel, speak with Aaron as well and make the arrangements for Akari and Yuuta.”
”Understood,” Claudel replied.
—
Summary:
A malfunction at the Gate causes Akari to be stranded and unconscious in the other world while Princess Shushu-ria remains in Nevada. The Princess is introduced to Halt’s family and begins her stay on Earth. Meanwhile, the Queen of Zerlant suspects the Gate failure is tied to an ancient, sensitive mystery.
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Trivia:
- The mana depletion observed in Nevada seemed to be ‘sucked’ into the other world.
- Shushu-ria is only 11 but has a very mature physical appearance for her age.
- The translation device also functions as optical camouflage for Elf ears.
- The Queen acknowledges herself as the ‘original cause’ of Yuuta and Akari’s separation
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Character Insight:
Shushu-ria shows surprising emotional maturity and empathy by comforting Tomori, despite her own panic earlier. The Queen’s guilt over her past actions continues to drive her current political and personal decisions.
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Behind the Scenes:
The mention of ‘that matter’ hints at deep-lore world-building regarding the origins of the Gates or Elven history that has been forgotten over generations.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Shushu-ria – Queen Asuka’s daughter, 11 years old, potential successor, Dwarf Engineer
• Mathius – Middle-aged researcher in a secret underground facility located in the Nevada desert, Earth. A serious and professional scientist wearing a lab coat, tasked with overseeing the research and containment of otherworldly beings, including Sheena, a Lizardman from another dimension.
• Sheena – A Lizardman from the Apocalypse Empire, specifically a junior researcher in the teleportation research team of the empire’s army. She is the 47th resident (hence ‘No. 47’) of the secret underground facility in Nevada, where she has been living for several years after accidentally being transported to this world through a failed gate experiment. Yuuta’s saffle too. Grey hair, long hair.
• Saran – An elf; part of the joint team working on the Gate. A Royal Palace Guard Officer from the Zerlant Royal Family. She has very white skin, is small in stature, and is described as incredibly cute. Despite her appearance, she is a master of all martial arts and exceptionally strong. She is described as ‘stiff’ or serious.
• Zau – Spirit Clan member; calm and resolute.
• George – An U.S. military officer and the son of Michael Anderson, a high-ranking official. He is also the brother of Gregory. Tomori’s husband. Halt’s father and a Major General in the military.
• Anderson – The President of the United States and Halt’s grandfather. Known by the media as the ‘Occult President’ due to rumors of using military funds for other-world investigations.
• Halt – A sixteen-year-old high school sophomore living in the suburbs of Washington D.C. He is the grandson of the President of the United States and is recognized as a severe otaku by his peers. He attends a prestigious high school for children of celebrities and elite families.
• Claudel – The elf captain of the royal guard assigned to Princess Asuka. At first, she had a strong dislike for Yuuta, who is human. Now, Yuuta’s saffle.
• Fedelate – The clan leader of the Spirit Clan. He is kind, gentle, and shows a unique interest in Sofia. Fedelate is powerful, capable of using telekinesis and healing magic. He is intrigued by human emotions and experiences, especially love.
• Gates – A classmate of Halt’s who prefers American comics over anime.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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