Volume 6 Chapter 38 Young Promises
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
September had arrived, but both at school and at home, Syu seemed to be lacking her usual spark.
When I asked Saran-san, she explained that while her future schedule was still uncertain, her study abroad program might be ending soon. Because she had already completed the Whale Sharks tour1, she had lost her concrete goals and was feeling a bit hollow.
I see.
Still, I wanted Syu to stay her energetic self until the very end, so I decided to reach out to her.
”Hey, Syu. The Gate trouble isn’t solved yet, and even if the Gate turns out to be ‘OK,’ your study abroad is scheduled for a year, so you wouldn’t be heading home until November at the earliest, right? You still have about three months left—why don’t you decide on a new goal?” I stared at her intently, and Syu’s face turned bright red.
”Look. You heard Higa-san and the others earlier today, didn’t you? About doing the Magic Little Queen cosplay at the Ani-Fes in Naha next month. You like that stuff, right? Like Magical Milky… I’ll help you out if there’s anything I can do.”
”Don’t you like Halt better? But… I guess you’re right. I’ll think about it a little.”
Syu’s words cut off there. Well, being too pushy would be weird, so I didn’t press her any further at the time, but…
* * *
Late that night. A knock came at my bedroom door, and Syu entered.
”What’s wrong, Syu? At this hour?”
”Hey, Halt. About those future goals you were talking about earlier today…”
”Ah. Does that mean you want to participate in the Ani-Fes as a Magic Little Queen?”
”No! That’s not it. It’s about my goal… I want to do adult things with you…”
”…Adult things? You don’t mean! ? Syu. Do you want to have s*x with me?”
Syu turned her face and her whole body bright red, nodding silently.
”No, no, no. That’s out of the question. It’s true I’m like you… but in this world, an eleven-year-old absolutely cannot do sexual things for any reason! It’s against the law!!”
”But… if I go back to my country like this, I probably won’t be able to meet Halt ever again, right? I hate the idea of us just parting ways like this. Halt has already seen and touched the important parts of this Queen… what am I supposed to do with these feelings!?”
”No… just because of that…”
”Please, Halt. I won’t tell anyone. Just thinking about you makes my chest hurt, and my lower body and stomach feel hot and restless…”
No, that is definitely not vocabulary an eleven-year-old should be using. And anyway, I saw it, sure, but I didn’t touch it… ah, but Syu must have gathered all her courage to say that. Thinking about it like that, she becomes incredibly precious.
”Syu…”
I reflexively pulled her shoulder toward me. Her pajama-clad chest pressed against mine. She clung to me with all her might, wrapping her thighs around my legs.
Dammit. If I just let it happen… no, no, no. Trying to hold back my reason from flying out the window, I pulled my hand away from her shoulder.
”Eh. Halt… why?”
”It really is no good. I can’t do sexual things with you right now. But… when you go back to your country and grow up… if we can meet again, let’s do it then. I don’t know if that will be in five years or ten years…”
”No way… will Halt really wait for me? You won’t start liking some other Queen girl?”
”Well, I can’t really say for sure… but Syu, you might find someone you like even more in the future, even if you like me right now.”
”That would never happen!! But… I understand your feelings, Halt. I’ll be waiting forever.” Saying that, Syu returned to her room, and immediately after, I heard the sound of loud crying.
Since that night, Syu seemed to have regained her former energy. She must have come to terms with her feelings in her own way. Apparently, Syu had told Saran-san that she had confessed her feelings to me, and she thanked me implicitly for having reined things in. I wouldn’t have been able to refuse an invitation from Saran-san, either. In fact, back when it was Sister Sheena, I was already completely ready for it…
* * *
Then, in October, my father came from America and told us that Syu’s return was set for the tenth of next month. Sister Sheena had apparently found a way to avoid the risks regarding the Gate with symptomatic treatment, so there were supposedly no problems with the safety of her return.
That was the story, but perhaps she had steeled herself to a certain extent, as Syu just nodded silently.
”So, Princess Syu-ria. Your life in Okinawa is over at the end of October. When November comes, I need you to return to the Nevada base and head home with the Spirit Clan exchange students. Saran-san, please prepare accordingly.”
”Understood, Mr. George. Then, after the Princess returns home, I’m to return to my previous duties at the Nevada base, correct?”
”That is correct. Sheena is currently researching something called a Mana Chamber—a mechanism to stabilize the mana concentration on this side—and once it is complete, traveling back and forth will become safer. In addition to your regular duties, Lieutenant Sheena requested your assistance with that.”
”Assistance? I only hope it isn’t something ridiculous again…”
Seeing the look on Saran-san’s face as she said that, for some reason, Mother burst out laughing.
”Ah, Halt. It’s finally time to say goodbye. Please don’t forget your promise.”
Syu said weakly.
”Don’t worry, Syu. I absolutely won’t forget.”
”Promise? What are you two talking about?”
My father cut into the conversation between me and Syu.
”It’s nothing. A secret between just the two of us.”
”Heh. You and Syu-hime have really become close. And so… the Princess seems to think this is goodbye, Halt. Actually… would you be willing to go with her to the elf country?”
”Nn. Dad, what did you just say? Wait… what exactly does that mean!?”
I was taken aback by the sudden, out-of-the-blue proposal. But after listening to my father’s explanation, it started to make some sense. So that Senator is involved too… even so, suddenly being told to go to another world… ah, Mother is completely flustered too.
”Sorry, sorry. I should have sounded you out sooner, but the situation is complicated… so I thought it might be better to talk after the Princess’s return became concrete…”
”And so… the consent of the person in question can wait? That sounds like a state project that’s already decided, right? Can I even say no?”
When I pressed him like that, my father’s eyes darted around in confusion.
”…Do you hate the idea?”
”If you ask if I hate it, not really… but I need mental preparation and I have to get my affairs in order…”
Even so, it’s not like there’s much I want to do in this world, or anything holding me back. Honestly, I’m extremely interested in another world. But if I go once, I probably won’t be able to come back very soon, and what about this whole study abroad thing… wait a minute. What happens to the promise with Syu?
Coming back to my senses, I looked at Syu’s face, and she was staring at me with a smile that covered her entire face.
”Really? Is Halt really coming with me? Then, I’ll introduce you to Mother right away and make a promise for our future…”
”Please wait, Syu-sama. Halt-san is being invited to the Demon Clan Empire for his studies. If you suddenly say something like that to the Queen-king, it will only cause chaos in the country!”
She looked a bit down after being scolded by Saran-san, but Syu didn’t seem to care that much.
”That’s right, Syu. Just wait a second. I haven’t even organized my own thoughts yet. But… if I go there, I’ll be able to meet Grandma and my aunt, right? If possible, I’d like to go and show my face.”
”Oh, Halt. Then I can assume that’s a basic ‘OK,’ right?”
”I got it, Dad. But, I want you to adjust it so that the study abroad period is as short as possible. It doesn’t look like they have anime over there…”
”You can just have Saran send them via DVD. I’m planning on bringing plenty as souvenirs, too. Ah, I have to bring a player!”
”No, no, Syu-sama. You cannot use the regular service for things like that!”
—
Summary:
Syu’s despondency over her potential departure prompts Halt to suggest a new goal, which unexpectedly escalates into an adolescent confession of intimacy. Following the revelation that Syu must return home in November, Halt’s father proposes that Halt accompany her to the elven world for his own studies. The chapter concludes with Halt cautiously agreeing to the proposition while Syu anticipates their shared future, leaving the logistical and diplomatic consequences in flux.
—
Trivia:
The Whale Sharks tour was a specific bucket-list milestone for the foreign exchange students.
The Mana Chamber is a newly introduced piece of technology designed to stabilize mana concentration for safe dimensional travel.
Halt’s father has been coordinating with a US Senator to arrange these cross-dimensional exchanges.
Syu’s return date is explicitly set for the tenth of November.
The request for Halt to join the Demon Clan Empire is a state-level project, not merely a casual suggestion.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Syu – An eleven-year-old, long-haired Dwarf Engineer and princess visiting as a student from another world. Large, sturdy, yet softly curved, she is a boisterous, charismatic explorer blending royalty with mechanics. She shares an intense emotional attachment with her companion Halt, but struggles with the impending reality of returning to her home country.
• Saran-san – A young woman who is a student and acts as a diplomat from Zerlant. She is deeply devoted to Syu and harbors hidden romantic feelings for Halt that she struggles to conceal.
• Saran – Disguised as a petite, sun-shy high school girl in a blazer and miniskirt, this cute elf of mysterious age is a serious Zerlant Palace Guard Officer and martial arts master. Serving as a formal, observant companion, diver, and dedicated guardian to the Princess, she is deeply concerned with the diplomatic and social implications of her charge’s actions.
• Higa – A female high school student from Okinawa who is an avid reader and writer of romance novels and easily picks up on interpersonal dynamics.
• Halt – A young male protagonist who finds himself navigating the complexities of his relationship with a young princess from another world. He acts as a protector and guide, while wrestling with his own internal moral code regarding their age gap. The son of Tomori and a student responding to an invitation from the Empire.
• Sheena – A grey-long-haired Lizardman, military lieutenant, and researcher from the Apocalypse Empire’s teleportation team. Known as No. 47 after a failed gate experiment stranded her in Nevada, she analyzes interworld risk and stabilizes mana chambers for safe travel. Now an AWCC official and Yuuta’s saffle, she made an exception allowing Zau to return to his home country.
• Syu-ria – An eleven-year-old girl from another world holding the title of Dwarf Engineer. Has a big presence despite her age.
• George – A pragmatic and goal-oriented U.S. military Major General who handles international and interdimensional relations, acting as a bridge between worlds. He participates in diplomatic strategy discussions and is the son of President Michael Anderson, brother to Gregory, husband of Tomori, and father of Halt.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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