Chapter 121 The Social Studies Field Trip
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The wind has turned considerably warmer over the last few days.
But just as you start to relax, the winter chill sneaks up to stab you in the back. That’s the fickle nature of the “three cold, four warm”¹ cycle this time of year. Those cold snaps seem to hunt for the specific days you decide to dress light; I’ve taken more than a few backstabs from the weather.
Eventually, I had the driver take us as far as Ueno.
Biwa-san brought me here after I’d asked about that baffling logistics system – the one that had basically warped our jinrikisha earlier. Apparently, a single company, Transport Company Momotaro, holds a complete monopoly over the Imperial Capital’s shipping industry.
Logistics: one of the Capital’s many enigmas. A staggering volume of property moves through these streets every day, yet I haven’t seen a single delivery truck. There’s no sign of transport via the canals, either. It’s been gnawing at the back of my mind for a while now.
As I was peeking at the company’s headquarters out of pure curiosity, a staff member on duty called out to me. It turned out they were in the middle of a workplace field trip and invited me to join in.
I gladly accepted the offer. Unfortunately, Biwa-san wasn’t allowed inside, so we parted ways there.
The sight of this logistics system triggered a random memory. I felt like a green dragon being ditched at the edge of a cliff by a certain plumber in a red hat so he could jump higher.
”Is that a… clay pipe? Wait, is that guy only twenty-five? He looks like a middle-aged big brother to me,” I muttered.
Massive vertical pipes were protruding straight from the ground.
”It looks exactly like the ones from the game. You know, the ones that take you to a hidden stage. Is this some kind of mystical object that warps things to their destination?” I asked.
”If only it were as convenient as you imagine, sir,” the staff member replied. “But the pipe itself is nothing more than ordinary steel. We call these Transport Pipes.”
”I see. Then, uh… if that’s the case, what is this exactly?” I wondered.
The resemblance was uncanny. Seeing clay pipes sticking out of the ground like this felt incredibly surreal.
The uniformed employee continued her explanation with an air of great importance.
”The Transport Pipes are a vast network of underground conduits laid out like a web beneath every district of the Capital. Any cargo entrusted to Transport Company Momotaro is delivered through these buried lines.”
”Wait, so you’re saying these pipes are buried under every square inch of the Imperial Capital?” I asked.
”Precisely. We cover every single address,” she said.
She looked quite pleased by my look of genuine shock.
”The total length of the network is roughly thirty percent of the Earth’s circumference. In terms of a straight line, you could travel all the way to Munich, Germany. We can even deliver items from this very branch directly to your current place of stay,” the employee explained.
”Whoa… that’s insane,” I said.
The pipes were essentially a highway system dedicated solely to cargo. The sheer scale of what was buried beneath my feet was mind-boggling.
She then led me into a red-brick building. She let me try to pick up a container filled with an incredibly heavy liquid.
”What is this? It’s like lead. A single cup of this feels like it weighs half as much as I do,” I grunted.
”The interior of the Transport Pipes is filled with fluid. Our cargo floats along the current – donburako², as they say. That is, in fact, the origin of our company name. All goods are transported via Hyakkan Water, which is pumped from a dungeon known as Goldfish Academy in the Watarase River,” she said.
I was giving her such great reactions that she seemed to grow more and more prideful with every detail.
To put it simply, this logistics system was essentially the same as floating logs down a river.
The lifeblood of the Imperial Capital wasn’t cars or trains. It was water. Hyakkan Water shared all the properties of H2O, but it was unnaturally heavy. It was heavier than iron, yet remained a low-viscosity liquid. This water circulated at high speeds through underground pipes with diameters matching that of a freight train.
Logistics here was a simple job: you just plopped the cargo in and let it flow.
Through branching sub-pipes, goods reached factories, stores, or individual homes. Every block had a main line, and each household received cargo directly through a large-scale faucet. The items would be caught by a metal mesh at ground level, while the liquid drained back down into the underground circulation system.
Apparently, I could even send things from home. I’d just have to wrap the cargo in a specialized waterproof sheet and drop it into the drainage side. Anything from letters to furniture was fair game. From there, the underground distribution center would check the invoice and manage the destination.
Right beneath the streets of the Capital, an infinite maze of water pipes was constantly churning. I had no idea. No wonder the ground shook every now and then when I was out walking.
The other employees were watching from a distance, looking envious that their colleague had landed the lucky task of showing me around.
”How do you keep the water flowing? I assume it’s separate from the standard water and sewage lines,” I said.
”It would be faster to show you the real thing. I’m about to lead a group of other visiting nobles, so why don’t you join them?” she replied.
”Sure, lead the way,” I said.
I followed the staff member through a vestibule crawling with guards. We arrived in a space that felt as hushed and dignified as a museum. The floors were carpeted, and miniature models of the Transport Pipes were displayed on pedestals across several stone-walled rooms.
The field trip was in full swing. The hall was bustling with boys around my age.
I went straight to the observation area to see the inside of a pipe.
Peering down into the hole, I saw a vertical pipe connecting to a horizontal one at the base. I could see cargo zipping through the water – likely things the other boys had just thrown in. The items would sink for a moment, then glide quietly away like they were swimming through the underground river.
”So this replaces both the post office and the trucks. The sheets are durable enough for food, too. They’re even moving furniture and construction materials… Oh, wow. There goes an entire piano. Yikes, that’s just mean. Someone’s throwing in trash,” I muttered.
It was a prank by some of the boys. The staff member looked visibly distressed.
I see this kind of thing a lot in Japan; so much of the infrastructure relies on water-related mystical objects.
The most powerful artifacts are almost always tied to rivers, rain, typhoons, or earthquakes. It’s a strange phenomenon, but dungeons in different countries tend to have these regional themes. The trade-offs vary, too. Japanese mystical objects usually require a careful balance of performance versus risk. You never get something for nothing. But foreign artifacts are different; they somehow always end up reflecting the national character of their origin.
In the corner of the room, there were tables and chairs where exhausted visitors were being served tea and sweets. It felt exactly like a high-society version of an elementary school field trip.
In the back of the room, several women stood waiting – presumably the Imperial Guards for the boys in the group.
”…Ah,” I gasped.
”Oh?” my guide asked.
I froze.
I saw a familiar face. It was someone I hadn’t seen in months.
Our eyes met. She stared back at me, her expression blank with shock.
”It’s Aoyama Yukari-san,” I asked, “What are you doing here?”
”I… I should ask you the same… They said… they said you’d been kidnapped…” she stammered.
The girl with the trademark twin-tails was the spy girl from Inubou and the others, Aoyama Yukari-san.
Seeing her felt like reaching back into a lifetime ago.
”How long has it been? Last time was at the elementary school, before the war started. So, maybe half a year?” I asked.
”…Eh? Yes… I suppose… so…” she replied.
Under my gaze, she looked away, her face turning aside in an awkward, pained grimace. Even her twin-tails seemed to droop listlessly.
Memories of our time at Ichihara Elementary School came flooding back – how I’d teased and humiliated her after stuffing her inside a tansu (traditional Japanese chest), the times we’d shared a Goemon bath (a deep, wooden bathtub), and how I’d been all over her every day like a monkey in heat. Since I’d been left behind in the dungeon, we hadn’t had a single chance to talk. Lately, I’d almost completely stopped projecting my consciousness to visit her. After my own trauma started piling up, I’d been subconsciously avoiding the past because it was too painful to remember.
In the section where the male Imperial Guards were stationed, I noticed a few other familiar faces – guards I recognized from the school.
They seemed to be operating as a group.
”Is something wrong, sir? If there is another facility you’d like to see, I can lead the way,” my guide said, checking on me.
I started to say something. But Yukari-san remained silent, her face still turned away as if she was desperate to hide our connection. It seemed that being seen with me right now would be problematic.
”No, it’s nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, but I must have been mistaken. Sorry for the holdup. Let’s keep going,” I said.
I forced myself to walk away, though my eyes lingered on her as I passed.
Yukari-san looked like she was in agony. I didn’t know the details of her situation, but the aura she was giving off was identical to Sow-san – my lead guard – whenever she was pushed to her absolute limit. It was the vibe of someone whose heart was so full of bottled-up anxiety that they were about to burst.
I hesitated for a moment, then turned around.
I walked back and opened both hands wide in front of her.
”Come here. In the Imperial Capital, hugging in front of people is common sense, right?” I said.
”You idiot… What are you talking about? I’ve never heard of common sense like that,” she muttered.
”Wait, there isn’t? Then why are you crying?” I asked.
”That’s only for high-society etiquette, you big dummy,” she sobbed.
With that, she lunged into my arms, hugging me with everything she had.
”Whoa… You’ve been doing okay?” I asked quietly.
”As if… I haven’t been able to sleep a wink at night because of you,” she replied.
I felt a wave of relief. She hadn’t ignored me. In fact, she was crying her eyes out. I had almost let myself forget about her, but for her, clearly, it had been the exact opposite.
I wondered just how much she’d been carrying this whole time.
”I’ll be straight with you-for a while there, Aoyama Yukari-san had completely faded from my mind. With one disaster after another, I just didn’t have the head space for her.”
It sounded like a hollow excuse, but it was the truth.
Not that she seemed to mind.
”That voice… the way I can see the crown of your head when I hold you… your habit of slipping foreign words into our conversation… the way you let me touch you, even when it should be impossible,” Yukari-san whispered. “Thank God. I heard you were badly hurt… and when I heard you’d gone missing, you have no idea how much I worried…”
”I’m a citizen of an enemy state, Yukari. We’re at war,” I said.
”You aren’t just a ‘human being’ to me. I realized that the moment we were apart. You are my everything. Since you don’t seem to know, I’ll have to teach you: once a man gives a woman everything, he stops being just a person to her. I thought I’d never see you again.”
Her nails dug deep into the skin of my back.
I’d used her, tossed her aside, and then ignored her existence-yet she still held me in such high regard.
Her feelings were suffocating.
I ran my fingers through her twin-tails, reflecting on it all.
A man who sleeps with a woman leaves a permanent scar. Most women in this world only know one man in their lives; they spend the rest of their days pinning their hearts to the one who showed them a shred of mercy.
She didn’t smell like a musty old dresser.
I decided to set aside the questions for now-why she was in the Imperial Capital , what she was doing here, or why she’d ignored me at first. For a fleeting second, the warmth of the reunion actually felt good.
Then, someone tapped Yukari-san on the shoulder from behind.
In one swift motion, she was wrenched away from me.
A sharp grunt of pain escaped her lips. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! We were having a-“
Yukari-san’s temper flared instantly.
She spun around, only to find a Tokko officer staring her down with the expression of a demon. There were two of them. The second one-a softer, more relaxed-looking officer-stepped toward me and pulled out a piece of candy.
”Sorry to keep you waiting. That must have been terrifying,” the girl said. “Don’t worry, we’ve caught the bad woman. You’re safe now. Would you like a piece of candy, kiddo? I have three flavors-orange, apple, and pineapple.”
”Oh, uh, thanks. I’ll take the apple… wait, no, she’s an Imperial Guard,” I stammered. “She’s my classmate’s… she’s not some random girl, she’s… well, a friend, I guess…”
I couldn’t find the right words.
My brain was still foggy from the emotional whiplash.
When had they even arrived?
I hadn’t felt a ripple in the air, hadn’t heard a single footfall.
Behind the officer with the candy, the woman who had grabbed Yukari-san was radiating a murderous pressure.
”You are under suspicion of assault against a person of high station and inciting a public disturbance,” the officer barked.
”Wait, this is a mistake!” Yukari-san cried. “I’m an Imperial Guard on assignment! I’m from the Aoyama family of Inubou… I’m here as an escort for my master-“
”Finally, you show your true colors,” the officer growled. “I was hoping you’d resist.”
A sickening crack echoed from Yukari-san’s shoulder.
Blood began to bloom through the fabric of her uniform.
”You attempted to use your status to threaten an officer of the law. You are under arrest for obstruction of justice,” the woman said coldly. “I was forced to crush your cervical vertebrae during the struggle. Don’t worry-I’ll leave you mobile from the neck up so you can still testify.”
”I told you, I know her! Let her go!” I shouted.
I scrambled over and grabbed the Tokko’s arm.
”Is she threatening you, young master?” the officer asked.
”No! It was a misunderstanding! We’re friends! Please, stop hurting her!”
The Tokko looked genuinely livid that I had hugged her of my own volition.
The fact that I’d initially referred to her as a stranger had been her undoing.
For a long moment, the two officers debated whether they should separate us.
Eventually, my frantic explanations managed to clear the air.
But they still led her away for questioning, leaving all my questions unanswered.
”We finally find each other, and I lose my head… I’m such a fool,” Yukari-san whispered as they pulled her away.
”I’m sorry. I should have known better than to make a scene. But they promised they won’t be cruel, so don’t worry,” I replied. “I’ll see you soon, Yukari-san. I’ll find a way to come for you.”
”I’ll be waiting,” she said, her eyes locked on mine until she vanished.
Unlike the noble girls who usually flirted with me, an Imperial Guard didn’t have the clout to push back against the Tokko-especially not in a strange town. Even if their masters cared about their reputation, most of them found helping their staff to be a chore. They hated cleaning up after their subordinates.
I was just an old acquaintance. I couldn’t stop them from taking her.
Still baffled by the whole ordeal, I was eventually led to a back room.
And there they were: my old classmates.
A collection of familiar faces I never thought I’d see again.
”I guess if the Guard is here, the master would be too,” I muttered.
Memories started flooding back.
There was Inubou Dora-kun, Yukari-san’s master and my former bully, currently barking at a guide. Sakura and Hinata-the ones who used to mock me for being short-were listlessly kicking at some factory machinery. Hirayama and Kameyama, who used to pick on my lack of stamina after I got out of the hospital, were tossing packages into concrete pipes just to watch the staff freak out.
A few were missing, but there were dozens of other boys I didn’t recognize, likely from other regions. They were all running around, laughing and playing with a disturbing innocence.
They looked like they were having the time of their lives.
Personally, I didn’t have many fond memories of them.
Then I saw Tokumasa-kun, the only one I actually liked, the only one I’d kept in touch with through letters. He looked up, beamed, and waved me over to his table.
We toasted to the sheer coincidence of it.
He was my only friend from primary school. Tan, healthy, with the vibe of a kid who spent his summers working at a beach shack-mischievous but without a drop of malice in him.
I genuinely liked him.
”It’s a field trip! Part of our big school tour,” Tokumasa-kun explained. “The war almost got the whole thing canceled, and we weren’t having it. All the boys started writing to each other, organized a little rebellion, and well… here we are.”
He filled me in on why there was a mob of boys taking over the Capital.
Their selfishness had apparently bypassed national borders.
Since their schools had closed down, they refused to miss out on their last big trip before they were married off. Eventually, the authorities buckled. Even with a war raging, the various towns put aside their differences to coordinate an Imperial Capital tour.
They had fought for this trip, and they had won.
”Impressive. You actually forced a school trip to happen in the middle of all this?” I asked.
”War is just something women do because they feel like it. It has nothing to do with us,” he shrugged. “I wasn’t about to let some stupid ceremony ruin our fun.”
He truly didn’t give a damn about the conflict between the women.
To him, it was just a loud festival happening in the background.
”So you made it to the Capital. Nice. I don’t think I ever got an invite, though,” I said.
”I’m pretty sure one was sent your way. I tried to bring it up in my letters, but you never replied, so I figured you were busy. I was worried about you,” Tokumasa-kun said.
”Thanks. Yeah… I’ve had a lot going on.”
Tokumasa-kun was exactly the same as he was six months ago-honest, easy-going, and sincerely concerned for me.
I was glad I ran into him.
I guess it makes sense; this is the biggest tourist trap around.
”We’ve been here three months, so it’s getting a bit old. But the rumors about you? Those never got boring,” he said with a grin.
”Rumors? About me?”
”You’re kidding. You really don’t know? Man, I have so much to ask you. You’re practically a legend right now.”
And so began Tokumasa-kun’s interrogation.
He wanted to see how the street gossip stacked up against my actual life.
My reputation had long since spilled out of Kazusa Province and flooded the entire Kanto region.
I was being talked about like a character in a storybook. The “Miracle Princess” who was swept up in the fires of war, made a miraculous return, and then went on to strike down a wicked woman to turn the tide of the conflict.
If I’d heard the story from someone else, I would have thought it was some epic hero’s journey.
Apparently, I was the hottest topic at every tea party in every town-a source of intense jealousy and worship.
To put it bluntly, I was the man of the hour.
I was on the front page of every local paper. But because I never actually showed my face at any social gatherings, most people thought I was just a myth. He told me that if anyone here actually knew what I looked like, I would have been mobbed the second I walked in.
I ended up confessing everything to him.
By the time I was done, I slumped over, resting my cheek on the table in exhaustion.
”Tea parties are a nightmare for your nerves. I’m glad I stayed away,” I sighed.
Confirming rumors is a headache; denying them is worse. I’d dodged a bullet.
”I’m not a fan either,” Tokumasa-kun said. “Being able to navigate a tea party is the mark of a proper Yamato Nadeshiko , sure. But if you’re too good at it, it just means you’re wasting your life on the wrong things.”
”I appreciate that.”
Tokumasa-kun was a dungeon freak . He’d sacrificed more than half the toes on his hands and feet to the Oath of Fealty Ritual , so he didn’t care much for the rules of male society.
That shared sense of being an outsider was why we clicked.
”Still… I’m jealous,” he added, his eyes shining.
He was hooked on every word.
”What part of that nightmare is worth being jealous of?” I asked.
”You got to have a real adventure in a dangerous dungeon! I’ve been to a dozen tourist dungeons, and there isn’t so much as a stray monster in them. It’s boring.”
Spoken like a true boy.
”I’ve had enough to last a lifetime. I just tried to help a woman I felt sorry for, and it spirals. Let me tell you-monsters are terrifying. I didn’t choose to be there, and I never want to see a battlefield or a dungeon ever again,” I said firmly.
”That’s not what they say. They say you were radiant and resolute-that the villains and monsters were so intimidated by your purity they couldn’t even get close.”
”Complete lies. I was crying and running for my life the whole time. Though… I guess the scenery was pretty.”
The stories had definitely been embellished.
I was being canonized as some kind of war saint.
”Sometimes the people who fight the bravest are just the ones who were too scared to run,” Tokumasa-kun said, trying to cheer me up. “Maybe that’s you.”
”I hope so.”
”Just take it easy. Spending hours worrying doesn’t get you closer to the right answer. It’s just like a school exam,” he said.
”You might be right.”
”Blaming yourself is a waste of time. Don’t worry-there are plenty of meddling guys out there who’ll be happy to do the blaming for you.”
An ugly thought, but it was the truth.
He gave my shoulder a light, friendly tap.
”Never mind that-show me some proof that you’re a hero. I’ve heard the rumors that you’re a Psionic Power user. So, what can you actually do? Is it useful for exploration? What’s the classification? Or are you just a total dud?”
”It’s not really the type of thing I can show people, but… fine,” I said.
I put everything I had into it, straining until my muscles screamed as I bent a thin iron pipe I’d found on the factory floor. A grown woman might have managed it if she pushed herself to the absolute limit, but for someone with my thin arms, it should have been a physical impossibility.
Tokumasa-kun let out a shrill, high-pitched squeal of delight.
We spent a while longer picking at sweets and sipping tea, enjoying the easy flow of conversation. The initial warmth of our reunion eventually began to settle into a quiet lull.
I cast my gaze toward a commotion nearby. A group of boys was screaming at the top of their lungs at the executives who ran the company. Looking closer, I realized there was a woman among them whose status clearly eclipsed even the owners. She was a member of a Zaibatsu clan, draped in formal regalia that only the highest echelon of the aristocracy was permitted to wear. Even among the nobility, these garments were reserved for the elite.
The sheer idea of throwing a tantrum in front of someone like her was a feat I couldn’t even fathom.
In this era, authority figures don’t bother with indirect pressure when they’re offended. They exist above the law; a woman who feels insulted usually just orders an execution. Even for a male, whose recklessness is usually tolerated, she wasn’t someone you’d want to cross. In fact, the Imperial Guards standing behind the boys were turning a deathly shade of pale.
”What are those kids doing?” I asked.
Tokumasa-kun looked at them like they were some incomprehensible species.
”Oh, those guys? They’re pitching themselves,” Tokumasa-kun replied. “They’re desperate for a connection to high society. That’s the only reason they’d bother with a stuffy tour like this.”
”It looks less like pitching and more like a brawl,” I noted.
”They’re just attention-seekers, unlike you. They want to get in good with a Zaibatsu. If a boy catches the right eye, he might land a mansion or even be granted an exemption from his male obligations. Can you believe it? They actually think they’re advertising their ‘ladylike charm’ by acting like that.”
One boy was shrieking at the woman, his voice cracking with effort. It was Dora-kun, the master of Yukari-san. He was just as I remembered him-stuck in the depths of a permanent rebellious phase, an explosion of aimless rage. The other boys were nodding along, emboldened by his outburst.
”Women aren’t even human beings! You’re no different from beasts! Don’t you dare try to drag me into your filthy, animalistic mating!” Dora-kun screamed.
”Oh? Does that mean I am currently conversing with the offspring of a beast?” the noblewoman asked.
”I’ll kill you! I’ll break you!” Dora-kun shouted.
”My, that hurts. Haha. If you hit me that hard, I might just swoon,” she replied with a mocking laugh.
The noblewoman was clearly shaken by the boy’s hostility, but she had more than enough composure to savor the experience. Even if her heart was momentarily bruised by a boy’s words, she likely had a wife waiting at home to comfort her. She remained perfectly elegant, even as she played the role of the troubled victim.
I watched the whole display with a knot of anxiety in my stomach.
The Zaibatsu. These corporate conglomerates essentially rule Japan.
My mental image of the Great Japanese Empire had always been hazy. I’d vaguely imagined a central government, a Diet of regional representatives meeting in the capital to appoint a Prime Minister, and a military-the Imperial Army and Navy-struggling to maintain order over a nation fractured by civil war.
I wasn’t even close. I hadn’t even grazed the truth.
The Imperial Assembly technically exists in the capital, yes. But it possesses absolutely no power. Following World War II, the government of the Great Japanese Empire failed to establish a new foundation and withered into a mere figurehead. With over half the global population wiped out and the seas churning in a decade-long frenzy, no nation had the resources to invade an island country. The domestic reason to remain unified simply vanished. History calls this the Showa Dissolution.
After the war, the Empire tried to suppress the movements for regional independence, fearing total internal collapse. The policy was a spectacular failure. It was inevitable, really. This is a world where commoners dig up laser rifles and carry them like mobile phones. If the government tried to force control, the Prime Minister’s residence would be vaporized. The military simply didn’t have the reach.
Instead, the local noble families rose to fill the vacuum. In the face of unprecedented disaster and zero state aid, it was only natural for people to turn to them. Ancient powers that had long since faded suddenly found their relevance restored. The Edo Shogunate plotted its restoration; the Satsuma and Choshu clans saw the opening and pushed for independence; the Imperial Court attempted to whisk the Emperor back to Kyoto.
The descendants of warriors whose names were relegated to history books began to dream again. With wealth and history reset to zero, it was a race from the starting line. A massive tide of house revivals swept the land. Fujiwara, Sugawara, Uesugi, Hojo, Abeno, Taira, Minamoto. Names you’d expect to hear in folk tales or period dramas.
These ancient, prestigious lineages leveraged their legitimacy to seize control of local dungeons, organize the populace, and consolidate corporate power. The Zaibatsu that emerged are essentially conglomerates of private companies owned by these historical noble families. Beyond their home base, they maintain independent economic zones-and private militaries-that span entire regions.
The central government spent that era desperately trying to keep the ship from sinking. They couldn’t let the clock wind back too far. They had to prevent a slide back into the pre-Azuchi-Momoyama era-a return to the hell of the Warring States Period. A second Genpei War was the ultimate nightmare scenario.
The Diet shifted from a body that decided the national budget to a negotiation table where regional powers could bicker over their interests. Laws aren’t written in the Imperial Assembly anymore. It’s just a tug-of-war arena where the Zaibatsu are pitted against one another, a series of checks and balances designed to prevent a total, catastrophic war.
While a unified government exists on paper, Japan is actually a patchwork of fifteen Zaibatsu engaged in a slow-motion, bloody struggle for dominance. In fact, the regime in old Kazusa Province-the one Ichihara City was beholden to-only existed because it was backed by a rival Zaibatsu. The rebellion went so smoothly because another corporation, looking to spite the first, had supplied the fuel and the fire.
Our backwater wars are often just corporate proxy battles. Ruthless Zaibatsu will manufacture a war just to hit their sales quotas, selling weapons to both sides. The elites watch us kill each other while swirling a glass of wine. It’s pathetic.
And the woman over there, a direct bloodline of a major Zaibatsu, doesn’t just have a husband-she has an entire stable of concubines. She belongs to the top 0.001% of the population.
When dealing with someone of that rank, men will shamelessly flatter them just to get a taste of that luxury or the status that comes with it. The women, in turn, see right through those shallow desires but find themselves unable to resist the s*xual allure. It’s the same old dance, just with the roles reversed. Wealthy merchants have even emerged who gift boys to these women as s*xual souvenirs to buy favor. It’s a complete reversal of the old Yoshiwara pleasure districts.
Tokumasa-kun and I watched this courtship with a cold, detached sense of observation.
”I’m not interested, but apparently next week there’s a gala at the Noble Club celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Imperial Territory. They’re all dying for an invite,” Tokumasa-kun said.
”Sounds like the East India Company… Private corporations owning colonies? Really?” I asked.
According to him, it was a party to celebrate the successful re-introduction of the caste system in Sri Lanka. It sounded like a genuinely evil celebration. Tokumasa-kun clasped his hands together in a mock-romantic gesture, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
”Oh, to be scouted at a debutante ball! To wake up one morning to a white horse-drawn carriage sent to spirit me away to a life among the nobles and royals. Oh, I simply wouldn’t know what to do! That’s the ‘pure’ Japanese boy’s dream, you know.”
”I feel like the moment you start screaming to get noticed, you’ve forfeited any claim to ‘ladylike charm.’ What part of that is supposed to be ‘pure’?” I wondered aloud.
The boys in front of us were still hollering about their own charms. As I stood there, baffled, Tokumasa-kun shrugged.
”Someone suitable will show up for you eventually. You’re a charming boy, after all.”
He was being kind to me, knowing I didn’t have a marriage prospect lined up. It wasn’t that I was jealous of their status, but… watching those women looking so smug while being insulted by the boys, I started to feel like it wouldn’t matter who they picked. They were thrilled no matter what the boys did.
”But from a woman’s perspective, isn’t every man basically the same? Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you’re ugly or old, men are always in demand. I think sucking up to them is a waste of time,” I said.
Tokumasa-kun nearly choked on his tea.
”That’s brutal! But you’re not wrong! We are all the same to them. So, in a world like that, who do you think is the most charming boy?”
”I assume everyone thinks it’s themselves,” I replied.
”Exactly. That’s why other people are the only yardstick. ‘Charm’ isn’t about being right; it’s the power to make someone else say ‘yes, you’re right,’ whether you’re full of it or not.”
”So the most selfish person is the most charming?” I asked.
”The person who can get away with the most selfishness is the most charming!” Tokumasa-kun declared.
I could feel the bitter expression on my own face. It was utterly hopeless. Is that why they could push themselves so aggressively?
”The poor women who have to put up with those tantrums…” I said, conveniently forgetting my own recent track record.
But Tokumasa-kun didn’t care about the women’s burden.
”Women might rule the world, but men rule the women. Deep down, they love being jerked around by us.”
”Maybe… I don’t know. I guess it’s better than being ignored,” I muttered.
”Are you some kind of radical feminist? You’re a weird one!” Tokumasa-kun laughed.
In the end, because their demands were being met, the boys’ tantrums proved to be incredibly effective. Dora-kun had finally simmered down, satisfied now that he’d secured an invite to the colony gala as an apology for being upset. This is why the cycle of these tests never ends.
True ladylikeness usually resides in the people who don’t have to lie about friends entering them in an audition without their knowledge. Which is probably why it was inevitable that we were the ones targeted.
”Excuse me. Do you boys have any interest in the social graces? I’m hosting a small banquet in the drawing room of my humble estate soon. I would be delighted if you would join us.”
The invitation came from them. In other words: “I’m throwing a massive party at my mansion, so get over there.”
The woman who had approached us was clearly a high-ranking noble; everyone within earshot immediately fell silent. To avoid offending someone with that much power-someone whose invitation you literally cannot refuse-we were going to have to start thinking very, very fast.
—
Summary:
The protagonist visits the Momotaro Transport Company, learning about their pipe-based logistics system. He reunites with Aoyama Yukari, a girl from his past, and they share an emotional moment despite their complicated history. However, Yukari is abruptly arrested by the Tokko for alleged assault. Later, the protagonist meets his old classmate Tokumasa and discovers he’s become a regional legend. He demonstrates his Psionic Power by bending an iron pipe, impressing Tokumasa. They witness boys harassing a Zaibatsu noblewoman, while the chapter explores Japan’s history, including the Showa Dissolution and the rise of the fifteen Zaibatsu.
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Trivia:
- The ‘three cold, four warm’ weather phenomenon explains the protagonist’s layered clothing choices.
- The transport system uses steel pipes, not magical warping, despite looking like video game pipes.
- Hyakkan Water is sourced from a specific dungeon: Goldfish Academy.
- The Imperial Capital’s constant ground tremors are actually caused by the high-speed movement of cargo underground.
- The ‘Reverse Chastity’ world setting implies flipped gender roles, which is why the Imperial Guards are predominantly female.
- Yukari believed the protagonist had been kidnapped, explaining her extreme emotional reaction
- Yukari’s physical injury (crushed cervical vertebrae) is severe but the Tokko leave her head movable for testimony.
- The protagonist initially accidentally disowned Yukari as a stranger to the police, which led to her brutal treatment.
- Tokumasa has missing toes from a ritual, indicating he is a hardcore dungeon explorer.
- The school trip was forced through ‘boy rebellion’ despite the ongoing war between women.
- The protagonist is famously known as the ‘Miracle Princess’ and a war saint in public rumors
- The protagonist’s psionic strength is disproportionate to his physical appearance.
- The ‘Great Japanese Empire’ is essentially a figurehead with no real power.
- There are precisely fifteen Zaibatsu ruling Japan in a fragile balance.
- Sri Lanka is a colony where the caste system has been re-introduced.
- The gender roles are completely reversed: men use ‘ladylike charm’ and women have concubines.
- The noblewoman’s invitation is a command that cannot be refused due to her status
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Character Insight:
The protagonist shows growth by recognizing he was avoiding the past due to his own trauma. Instead of walking away to avoid awkwardness, he chooses to offer comfort to Yukari, showing a maturation in his empathy compared to his ‘monkey in heat’ days at elementary school.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘red-hatted plumber and green dragon’ is a meta-reference to Super Mario World, specifically the ‘Yoshi Jump’ trick where players sacrifice Yoshi to reach higher ground.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Biwa – A young female servant with erotic brown skin and an athletic build. Highly ethical but easily influenced by the protagonist. Childhood friend of Ryoko-chan. A rickshaw puller who pants while working; acts as the moral watchdog or ‘Lolicon Police.
• Yukari – Dora’s imperial guard, the one who hide in MC’s wardrobe. Twintail. A girl known as the ‘spy girl’ from Inubou-machi with trademark twin-tails, and a small hair whirl (crown of head).
• Tokko – Modified human officer of the Special Higher Police; can shift into a wolf-like state.
• Hinata – Teen, Onjuku heir; mayor’s representative and war commander; very strong psionic user; defensive about being called a cheater; ordered the kidnapping.
• Dora – Antagonistic, older-looking male student with short hair, from an unnamed rural town. Former bully.
• Tokumasa – Friendly male student from Nokogiriyama, Tateyama Town. Sun-darkened skin, approachable.
• Kazusa Province – A region cited in Chapter 29 dungeon records defining unreturnable dungeons. Serves as a geographic and academic reference for explorers.
• Psionic Power – Mental energy concept in Chapter 35’s lecture. Trash-san teaches it to strengthen the protagonist’s mind after dungeon ordeals.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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