Volume 13 Chapter 395 The Imperial Sentinels
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
My name is Saionji Reona. I am a third-year student and a member of the Student Disciplinary Committee¹ at the private Otomezaki Academy. However, that is merely a temporary guise for a simple student. The Saionji family is a lineage of Imperial Sentinels² (oniwaban) who have served House Sumeragi for generations.
”So… she has finally been rewarded, has she?”
In a restaurant atop the tallest radio tower in Tokyo, my master, Sumeragi Kukuri – the Princess – listened to a report from one of the Sentinels. The news was that Sayamu Inko’s mission had been a success. Kukuri-sama sipped from her teacup with elegant poise. Her profile seemed genuinely happy. I felt the Princess’s expression had softened significantly of late. No doubt that was thanks to him, Shirogane Aqua.
”Really, that man… I wonder how many women he intends to seduce before he is satisfied.”
Sitting across from the Princess was the former royal of the Stars family, Victoria Stars. Despite her biting words, she began her dessert with a pleasant expression. She, too, had changed since meeting Shirogane Aqua. The old thorns were gone.
”Don’t you two agree?”
Victoria-sama asked. She looked toward the two women watching over the meal: Morikawa Momiji, the mother of Morikawa Kaede, and Kazami Tooko.
”Oh, Victoria-sama! Thanks to that, my daughter found happiness,” Momiji said. “What is there to complain about? An average man wouldn’t be a match for our Kaede-chan, anyway.”
That was certainly true. The Sentinels, myself included, suddenly became stone-faced.
”Heh, that’s right,” Victoria-sama said with a smirk, looking like a villainess from a novel. “I am also on the side of those not chosen by that man, so I understand those words well.”
I still found it hard to believe the reports from my fellow Sentinels, Mikomae Suzu and Tsubaki Botan. They claimed that Victoria-sama was incredibly clingy in bed.
”Hmph… speaking of Momiji’s daughter,” Tooko said, “she actually noticed my surveillance through pure instinct.”
”Wait! Tooko, what were you doing!?”
Momiji shouted. The Sentinels who had shared that experience made indescribable faces. Kaede was an amateur, yet her instincts were so sharp she had detected our surveillance multiple times.
”That isn’t the point,” Tooko said. “I’m talking about your granddaughter, Morikawa Satsuki.”
”Wait! You haven’t done anything to my cute granddaughter, have you!?”
Momiji asked frantically. Tooko brushed the concern aside with a cool expression. “I haven’t done anything. But while I was observing from the attic, our eyes met. I shifted my position, thinking it was a fluke, but she stared right at me again. If she’s like that at three days old, she’ll be a formidable woman. Perhaps I should train her?”
”Stop. I can’t keep up with this. Just don’t do anything unnecessary to my granddaughter,” Momiji replied.
She was truly the child of Aqua-kun and Morikawa. A thoroughbred of the power circles, her presence was clear from birth.
”Also, speaking of your daughter,” Tooko added, “the other day, she was brandishing a kitchen knife in front of Shirogane Kanon. I thought she was training to kill, but she was just practicing her cooking.”
I wondered if I had hallucinated Morikawa’s cooking program on the national broadcaster. Then again, I remembered that Aqua-kun never actually let her hold a knife in the studio. The one time she had – the ‘Hell Kitchen’ episode – was so terrible it had been wiped from the public’s memory. I still doubted the disclaimer that the staff had ‘eaten the food deliciously.’
”It seems Kaede-chan is learning cooking and sewing from Kanon-san and Emily-chan,” Momiji explained. “Just in case the child is a girly-girl, unlike her mother.”
”Ah, I see,” Tooko said, clapping her hands. “So that’s why I saw Yukishiro Emily perform a shinken shirahadori³ on a flying kitchen knife. It was a magnificent technique.”
”I am so sorry, Emily-chan!” Momiji wailed.
The Princess’s shoulders trembled. Victoria-sama hid her face behind a fan, but she was shaking with laughter as well.
”Heh. Why is it that my sister is surrounded by such ridiculous people?”
I couldn’t say it was because of the internet Bulletin Board⁴. Ultimately, it was her sister’s fault for getting immersed in them.
”Well, it keeps things from being boring,” Victoria-sama noted.
”True. It is never boring here.”
They shared a genuine laugh. Seeing them, our own expressions softened. I wished this peace would last forever.
”By the way,” Victoria-sama asked, “is it alright for you to be so relaxed?”
”I’m fine,” the Princess replied, her voice turning serious. “I am in no hurry regarding Aqua-sama. I am content being a secondary part of his life for now. If I had married him immediately after Kanon-san, people would plot to swap our positions. I don’t want that nano. I’m still a high school student. Occasional dates are enough nano.”
We Sentinels relaxed. The Princess’s happiness was our only goal. A quiet moment passed, then the tower suddenly shuddered.
”Botan! Suzu!”
I yelled. “No problem! The Princess is safe!” Botan shouted back. The three of us immediately shoved the Princess and Victoria-sama under the table. Protecting them was our top priority, regardless of decorum.
”What was that? An earthquake?” Momiji gasped.
”No,” Tooko said, narrowing her eyes. “The surrounding buildings aren’t shaking. Something hit this tower.”
”Something? Like a missile!?” Momiji cried.
”If it were a missile, we wouldn’t be alive,” Tooko replied. “But what was it?”
A missile would have leveled the steel tower. What could have caused such an impact?
”I’ll check the situation. Momiji, watch over them,” Tooko commanded.
Minutes later, Tooko returned. “The elevators are dead. The safety locks engaged. The manager says they can’t reach the ground floor. Check your phones.”
I checked my smartphone. Out of service. Everyone else shook their heads.
”The impact must have damaged the internal antennas,” Tooko explained. “We are cut off.”
We headed to the lobby to find a news monitor. A crowd had already gathered.
”-Emergency broadcast. A support pillar of the Great Tokyo Tower has been damaged by an object falling from the sky. Evacuate the area immediately!”
My legs felt weak. The tower could collapse.
”-Update from the government. The object was not a weapon, but a meteorite fragment. Prime Minister Habu has requested the Self-Defense Forces to begin rescue operations.”
I looked at Tooko. “Can we…?”
”No,” she said. “The wind is too strong. We could get down, but we can’t carry the Princess and Victoria-sama. They wouldn’t be able to hold on.”
”I have no intention of leaving anyone behind to save myself,” the Princess stated firmly. She stepped toward the panicked crowd and clapped her hands with a loud crack.
”Everyone, calm down!” she commanded. “The government is moving to rescue us. We must preserve our strength. If you are tired, share the chairs. If you feel ill, let me know. I will negotiate with the restaurant to provide space for you to rest. Stay together!”
Her voice silenced the panic instantly. We Sentinels stood tall. We were trapped, but as long as she was with us, we had a path forward.
—
Summary:
The chapter begins with a relaxed lunch meeting between high-status women discussing Aqua’s influence and the progress of the younger generation. The humor shifts abruptly when a meteorite strikes the Tokyo tower they are dining in, leaving them trapped as elevators fail and communications go down. Princess Kukuri takes command of the panicking crowd to maintain order during the crisis.
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Trivia:
- Reona’s family has been serving the Sumeragi family as secret guards for generations.
- The ‘Hell Kitchen’ episode is a meta-joke about the characters’ terrible cooking skills being so bad it caused a public memory lapse.
- Kukuri is intentionally delaying her marriage to Aqua to avoid political instability.
- The 3-day-old baby, Satsuki, already shows superhuman observational instincts.
- The communications blackout is caused by damage to the internal antennas, not a general network failure
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Character Insight:
Kukuri shows significant growth by prioritizing the safety of common citizens over her own immediate rescue, demonstrating her suitability as a future leader. Reona’s unwavering loyalty is highlighted through her immediate protective reaction to the tower’s impact.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Oniwaban’ were historically secret agents for the Tokugawa Shogunate, framing Reona’s role as more of a ‘black ops’ bodyguard than a simple student.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Saionji Reona – 3rd year student at Otomezaki Academy and member of the Student Disciplinary Committee. Secretly an Imperial Sentinel (Oniwaban) serving the Sumeragi family.
• Inko – Vtuber from ‘Generation of Ruin’ (Nightmare Generation)—Beryl’s shut-in gamer idol with self-deprecating high-energy personality, stupidly huge tits, long skirt, and hair transformed into braided pigtails for the date. Former baseball club member in youth. Usually messy long haired ponytail.
• Momiji – Mother of Morikawa Kaede and grandmother to Satsuki. Former professional cooking show host on a national broadcaster.
• 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.
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