Volume 10 Chapter 48 Morikawa Kaede, The Verification Team’s Celebration
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Hoge~”
I’m exhausted… While feeling like a zombie, I aim for my destination. Today has been eventful since the morning.
I had a great time at “Together with Big Sister”, “It’s Okay to Laugh!”, “the Christmas live”, and “the Christmas night parade”… I’m amazed that I managed to get through it all. Aqua-kun even managed to attend the event at the cathedral, and it seems like he still has work to do at night. He’s truly a powerhouse. As for me, I’m completely worn out.
”Welcome!”
”Good evening~ This is the reservation for the pure and innocent girls’ gathering.”
”Yes! You must be the reservation for the s*x-purity girls’’ gathering. Right this way!”
Something feels slightly different in the nuance of the words, but maybe it’s just my imagination? Yeah… I’ll attribute it to tiredness. I won’t dwell on troublesome things. That’s the way of a professional.
”This is the room.”
”Thank you.”
When I entered the room I was guided to, the other two people were already there, aside from Nee-san. I ordered some oolong tea and random yakitori. Then, Shumi, who was sitting in front of me, told me that I should also eat some vegetables. Indeed… I added shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, and onions to my order.
”What about Nee-san?”
”It seems she’ll take a little longer.”
”I received a message saying she just arrived.”
After a while, Nee-san was guided by the staff and arrived just like me. When Hagetoru and I made eye contact with Nee-san, although we didn’t do anything wrong, we reflexively sat in seiza. Nee-san seemed tired today, and the three of us definitely had a look as if we had done something naughty.
Hagetoru and I straightened our backs, not because we were being scolded, but to avoid causing any trouble. Shumi, who witnessed this, had a look of disbelief. Unlike Shumi, who rarely gets scolded, Hagetoru and I have caused a lot of trouble for Nee-san. So, it has become ingrained in our bodies naturally.
”I’ll have some oolong tea, the grilled chicken skewer set, pickled vegetables, tofu salad, and dried sweet potato, please.”
Hagetoru and I maintained a respectful posture in front of the yakuza nee-san, with our legs spread apart and our hands on our knees, waiting for Nee-san’s order. However, we were scolded after the waitress left. I don’t understand…
”Both of you, are you doing that on purpose?”
”Shumi-san, we’re not doing it on purpose.”
For some reason, Shumi looked at us with pity. I don’t understand!!
”Well… aside from that, I’m sorry for being late.”
”Nee-san, it’s okay because I just arrived too.”
”Me and Hagetoru are pretty much the same. We arrived here a little while ago.”
”Yeah, that’s right.”
First of all, the four of us raise a toast with 3 cups of oolong tea and 1 cup of orange juice. Although I’m tired and would really like to have a beer with this delicious yakitori, there are underage people here, so I have to restrain myself… By the way, the one who can’t read the atmosphere and ordered the orange juice is Shumi. If it were me, a timid person, I would have gone with the safe choice of oolong tea, but Shumi is strong in that regard.
”Nee-san, are you working early tomorrow?”
”Yes.”
I interrupt Nee-san and Shumi’s conversation.
”Oh, by the way, Aqua-kun and the others, aren’t they working now? Is it okay if you don’t go, Nee-san?”
”It’s okay, Aqua-san and others accompanied by President Ako and the others.”
Hmm, Beryl mentioned that they have increased the number of managers, so I guess they are rotating the managers to ensure they are always fully staffed. In addition to that, I think the three decision-makers, President Ako, Shitori-san, and Nee-san, make sure that someone is always available to handle things.
”So… Shumi-san, can I stay at your home tonight? It seems like it would shorten the time for my morning meeting and departure.”
”Of course.”
Hmm, what’s going on? I interject into the conversation between Nee-san and Shumi.
”Oh? Nee-san, haven’t you moved yet?”
”No. Aqua-san and I are currently focused on year-end and New Year’s work, so we’re thinking of submitting the notification, having the wedding, and moving after that… well, it will be after the New Year. However, considering auditions and other work commitments, we’re also considering the possibility of it happening in February or March.”
Nee-san, holding a glass, gulps down the remaining oolong tea.
Somehow, it seems like Nee-san is biased, and all I can see is her chugging whiskey with a mug. Whiskey with a mug is not normal, and if I say something, she might get angry, so I’ll keep quiet.
”Well, Aqua-san also said that we’ll definitely be living together by April, so I plan to take a little time off work in the second half of March to make it happen somehow. I can’t let Aqua-san take time off, and by that time, we’ll probably have new recruits too.”
I see. I nod while munching on chicken skin.
By the way, I had made a date promise with Aqua-kun, but because I broke my collarbone during lotion sumo, I had to postpone it, and it seems like Aqua-kun might forget about it eventually.
Well, that’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. It’s because I got carried away and ended up doing professional wrestling with real lotion sumo.
”Mmm, this meat is delicious!”
I noticed it has been quiet for a while, and then I saw Hagetoru next to me, enjoying grilled chicken with great excitement. Oh? Has her living situation improved a bit?
”After singing at the cathedral… I went to visit the hospital, and somehow ended up donating all the money I had on me. Please don’t ask for the reason… By the way, today’s meal is on Shumi-san, a high school student who doesn’t say much.”
I don’t know why, but I’m starting to feel sad. It would be unfair to let Shumi treat me, so I’ll buy it for myself.
Don’t worry, even though I may look like an older sister, I have plenty of money as a high earner. Here, instead of just eating the cheapest chicken skin, you can also try my bonjiri and shiso rolls.
”Oh, you’re such a kind person, Hogekawa. Thank you!”
Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t treat her after all. When I made that face, Hagetoru suddenly started massaging me.
She should have just said from the beginning that she has a disease that will only get worse if I don’t treat her.
”What are you doing…”
Once again, I was met with a bewildered look from Shumi. Huh, now that I think about it, this girl, when you look closely, came to the yakitori shop and ordered orange juice with quail bacon!? Ah, that’s why Shumi-san is here!
’Shumi is so cute even during meals.’
’Aqua-kun… I want Aqua-kun’s honey mustard on my quail eggs too.’
’I got it, Shumi. Tonight, we’ll have bacon-wrapped in bed. Be prepared.’
’Eek!’
I bet she has sweet interactions like this at home with Aqua-kun! So calculated. This is why Shumi is calculated!!
”What? Shumi being calculated? That’s always the case. This is why you’re like a child!”
”What about adult women?”
”Silence, we’ll have gizzard, cartilage, and heart!”
”Oh, one more!”
”Gizzard, cartilage, and heart!”
”Even children eat quail bacon!”
Oh, I received a silly face from Shumi.
As for Nee-san, she completely ignores us and eats in silence.
However, please refrain from flinging the soy-soaked dried fish with chopsticks. That thing is already dead.
Huh? Not flinging it? Do I naturally have that kind of look? Haha, my apologies.
”By the way, is it okay for Hagetoru not to be in disguise?”
”It’s fine. This yakitori shop is part of the Holy Aqua Religion…”
”Oh…wait, what!?”
Everyone except Hagetoru opened their mouths wide and exchanged looks, blinking their eyes. Shumi, on the other hand, froze with a piece of quail bacon in her mouth. Ugh…even from a woman’s perspective, her face is cute. Well, Aqua-kun also puts honey mustard on Shumi’s quail eggs at night.
”I-is that okay?”
”Yeah, the four members of the Verification Team are already recognized as saints by the Holy Aqua Religion. So even if Hagetoru’s true identity is exposed, no one would dare to snitch.”
Hagetoru munches on the board-wrapped seaweed ordered by Nee-san.
Oh, this girl ate more than half of it. Is she trying to kill herself!?
”Huh? Does that mean they know that Hagetoru is actually Emily-senpai?”
”Oh, not just that. Even more than half of the executives, the Saint-sama’s Guard, and the undercover operations unit, also known as CIA… Central Intelligence Aqua, know that Hagetoru=Yukishiro Emily=Saint Emily. I can’t escape from this religion anymore…hahaha…”
Hagetoru digs into the tofu salad Nee-san left for the end with dead eyes.
Ah, even though Nee-san set it aside as a closing dish, she devoured it until it was empty. Hagetoru…you’re being reckless.
”Wait a moment, how many Holy Aqua Religions are there?”
”I don’t know. Maybe Claire knows? Or maybe your grandmother would know.”
”Why are Claire and my grandmother’s names mentioned?”
”Oh… sorry. It’s nothing.”
Ah, Hagetoru ran away.
Nee-san, circling behind Hagetoru, who skillfully averted her gaze, lightly slapped her shoulder with a Buddha-like oni expression.
”Eh, ah, u… In the Holy Aqua Religion, there are twelve bishops, especially peculiar ones. Claire is the number one there, and your grandmother is the number two.”
”It’s a lie, right…”
Ah, Shumi hogeing.
Instead of Hoge-nami, Nee-san will continue the conversation.
”I see… So, is Mary-sama the financial source for the Holy Aqua Religion, then?”
”No, not just Mary-sama, but also one of the Twelve Bishops, Sumeragi Kukuri-sama, who is at the top of the noble six families. There are also general believers like Chairman Fuji Ranko, and it seems that there are quite a few influential figures from the business and political world among the believers.”
”Huh?”
”Moreover, it’s not just in Japan, but they also have roots in Stars, and Kythera, the leader of Stars Orthodox Church, is the 12th bishop. Stars Orthodox Church has become nothing more than a front religion for Holy Aqua Religion, a camouflage.”
”Huh?”
”That’s why, you know, Beryl Corporation is coexisting with Fuji Zaibatsu, Holy Aqua Religion, and their related companies.”
”Huh?”
”Before Beryl’s nationwide expansion, Holy Aqua Religion had already entered all 47 prefectures.”
”Huh?”
”Even today’s work, about half of it is influenced by Holy Aqua Religion.”
”Huh?”
”So, about half of Beryl’s employees are from the Holy Aqua Religion, maybe?”
”Huh?”
”Well, if you say that, then Shitori-san, Aqua-sama’s big sister, is also connected to one of the Twelve Bishops, a crazy person with a twisted mind.”
”Huh?”
”Oh, but even with that cult, the Holy Aqua Religion, it seems that Sugita-sensei, the homeroom teacher, didn’t work out. There’s this crazy head farmer called Seinobu who’s one of the Twelve Bishops, and even though the executives went to directly scout her, she refused, saying that she wouldn’t join such a crazy religion that endangers the students she protect. Oh, but really, what a great homeroom teacher. Unlike Mary’s teachers, who’s already a member of the Holy Aqua Religion, Otomezaki was normal, so that was a relief. Actually, it might be difficult to find someone who’s not from the Holy Aqua Religion in Mary’s class. I guess birds of a feather really do flock together.”
”Huh?”
I couldn’t help but say, “Huh?”
What? Has my old school become so dumb?
Oh, I see. So that’s why Hogekawa and Hagetoru became scholarship students. Hmm… I guess that makes sense!
”Give up and accept reality, Nee-san. Beryl and Holy Aqua Religion are inseparable now. I tried my best to do something about it at first, but everything I did backfired… Well, it’s impossible, really! Lately, I wrote an anonymous post on the bulletin board telling everyone to stay away from Holy Aqua Religion, and I got a warning from the moderator… Oh, by the way, Beryl’s server and the bulletin board moderator are both one of the twelve bishops, so be careful. Well, they say that if you see one Holy Aqua Religion follower, there are a hundred more nearby. Hahaha! Guee!”
The broken Nee-san calmly strangles Hagetoru as if it’s a normal thing to do.
Nee-san, I understand your feelings! But going any further is not good!
”Gibugibu, Nee-san, going any further will really give you a criminal record!”
Shumi and I managed to prevent her attempted murder somehow.
”I can’t believe that Holy Aqua Religion has turned into something like this…”
”Grandmother, Claire-san… It can’t be true…”
Huh? It was supposed to be a fun celebration, but why does it feel gloomy?
In this situation, as a woman, Hogekawa, I will liven things up with a special performance!
”Hogekawa, here comes the entertainment!”
I swiftly knocked off the cap of the orange juice bottle that Shumi ordered. Then, I put the bottle in my mouth, leaned back in a bridge position, and chugged it all at once. After that, I performed tricks like spinning the empty bottle and finally ended with a magic trick of putting chopsticks into the bottle with the cap closed.
”Kaede-senpai is really skilled, huh?”
Hey, Shumi-san? Why are you looking at me with such empty eyes? You used to look at me with sparkling pure eyes, full of admiration…
”Kaede-san… If only you had used the time you spent acquiring that skill to learn something more useful…”
Nee-san, please don’t look at me with such a disappointed expression! I even have a proper national qualification as an Ochinchin sommelier!
”Chinposuki, you really love wasting your time, don’t you?”
Ugh! I really don’t want to hear that from Hagetoru of all people! I went behind Hagetoru and squeezed her big chest.
”I don’t want to hear that from you, who hangs around with useless breasts!”
”Ha!? These breasts are not useless at all. Even today, when Aqua-sama said, ‘Please take care of me,’ he greeted me while looking at my breasts! Oh? Is Chinposuki-san jealous because she’s the smallest among us?”
”Mngah! Even I was greeted by Aqua-kun while he checked the swelling of my breasts over my knitted sweater!”
As Hagetoru and I were making a fuss like children, Nee-san pressed her palm on top of our heads, telling us to stop because we were bothering other customers. Grrrrr…
”I feel even more tired now… Is it really better to be working instead? Since I have to wake up early tomorrow, can I go home now?”
”Yeah, let’s disband then.”
In the end, Nee-san paid the bill.
Well, somehow, I had a feeling that would happen.
”Thanks! As expected of Nee-san! Your breasts are big, and so is your heart!”
Looking at Hagetoru, who was rubbing her temples with a sullen expression, I thought to myself that she was mentally strong in a different way.
”Well then, see you later, Hagetoru and Kaede-senpai!”
”Both of you, remember that your working hours extend until you reach home. Be careful not to take any detours, avoid suspicious places, and don’t follow any strange people who try to talk to you.”
”Yes!”
Nee-san and Shumi took a taxi and headed home. Wait, what about Hagetoru? Doesn’t she need to go home?
”Hahaha… Actually, I’m having a celebration for the Holy Aqua Religion, so I thought I should at least attend the after-party…”
”We’re in Akihabara, but where is the location?”
”It’s in Ginza, so if I walk for about an hour, I should be able to make it…”
Feeling sorry as a fellow Mary, I handed Hagetoru 10,000 yen.
”Thanks a lot! With this, I won’t have to walk back…”
But I wonder what it is…
From the perspective of a top-level organization that can control the world from both political and economic aspects, it brings about an incredibly sad feeling. Is this country, no, this world, going to be okay?
”Well then, see you later! I’ll make sure to work and earn this money through a temporary job!”
Yeah, normally, if you’re a scumbag, you would earn money through gambling or collecting money from followers. But in this case, she’s really serious. However, I wonder why she still act so foolishly. This person is Hagetoru. When it comes to Hagetoru and Aqua-kun, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s pointless to think about them.
”Well then, since I’m off today, maybe I’ll have a drink somewhere and head home!”
I’ve eaten a bit too much, so I’ll walk around and burn some calories.
By this time, I would have been having a Christmas dinner in Roppongi.
But today, I’ve created even more enjoyable memories than Christmas this year.
Shirogane: Did everything go well for you? Well, I’ll just assume it’s going well.
After all, it’s not just Aqua-kun, but all the boys from Beryl are working hard. Even today, everyone from Beryl made countless people happy. So, it’s okay to think that the hardworking Beryl boys were rewarded a little and had a good experience, right?
”Ah…”
While strolling, I ended up walking all the way to Kuramae Bridge… Maybe I should buy a canned beer from a vending machine around here and enjoy it while looking at the Sumida River. After all, cocktails at a stylish bar were beyond me.
”Found you.”
”Eh?”
When I turned around, Aqua-kun was there.
Eh? Huh…?
At first, I couldn’t quite grasp the situation and ended up in a daze.
”Why?”
”Simply because I really wanted to thank Kaede.”
No, no, no, that doesn’t explain anything. Why were you able to find me here!? However, the person I’m talking about is Aqua-kun. Yes, it’s useless to think about it.
”Kaede, thank you so much for today. You helped me with work, and also with Tenga-senpai… Even today, I was originally planning to have dinner on Christmas, I’m really sorry!”
”N-No, it would have been boring to eat alone anyway, and being able to have a meal with Kanon and the others, it was actually more fun. So, thank you for giving me this opportunity, something like that.”
I’m not lying, it’s the truth.
The celebration was actually fun, and being able to work together on Christmas was really enjoyable.
”I see… Kaede, you’re kind!”
Even though I’m tired myself, Aqua-kun showed me a beaming smile, and my heart skipped a beat.
Ah, I really like this side of him.
With Aqua-kun, conversations flow smoothly, and being together is definitely fun.
I mean, I do like his face, but it’s not just that. It’s definitely better to be with someone who’s fun to be around.
”I actually thought of making it up to you later, but it’s probably too late now.”
”Yeah. Aqua-kun, you have work tomorrow, right? I heard it from Nee-san. So, take it easy today for tomorrow’s sake, okay? I’m fine waiting for another time. Besides, I’ve worked a lot today and I’m tired!”
It’s a lie… I actually want to spend more time together, and being with Aqua-kun always cheers me up. But it’s clear that Aqua-kun is tired. So I thought I should let this person rest for the sake of everyone. I have a day off tomorrow, but Aqua-kun has work again, and another hard schedule awaits.
”I’m sorry… Thank you.”
”No, don’t worry about it.”
I answered with a smile.
”Kaede, let’s definitely go on a date when things settle down.”
”…Yeah!”
He remembered. I’m so happy!
But now, Aqua-kun stared at me intently.
”Kaede, if you don’t like it, you can move away.”
”Huh?”
Aqua-kun pulled me closer and gently brought his face closer.
W-Wait a minute, I-I don’t dislike it, but I just had a garlic-flavored dish earlier, so aaaaah!
I thought, but my desire to kiss won.
*Muah*
Aqua-kun lightly brushed his lips against mine.
Wow… So this is what a kiss feels like.
I heard before from Hagetoru that kissing your own upper arm is a good practice, but it’s completely different!
After Aqua-kun released his lips, he hugged me again.
I get worried if the smell of grilled chicken skewers got stuck in my hair.
But suddenly, it felt like Aqua-kun’s strength just drained away.
”…Aqua-kun?”
Even when I called out, there was no response.
After a while, I heard a sound from Aqua-kun that resembled a sleeping breath.
Maybe he fell asleep feeling relieved.
”Good job today…”
Saying that, I kissed Aqua-kun’s cheek while he was sleeping.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.