Volume 11 Chapter 29 Shirogane Aqua, Noisy New Year
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Kobayakawa-san’s transformation is cominggg!”
”Yeah!”
”Now we can win!”
”Kobayakawa-san, I’m so glad…”
Watching Kanon and the other three lined up in front of the TV, watching Heaven’s Sword, I feel warm inside. Oh, today is the day Kobayakawa-san transforms into a Bicorn Beetle. It feels like it was just a few months ago when we filmed that.
”Master, do we really not have to do anything?”
”Today is a day off for the maids, so Pegonia-san and the others can enjoy Heaven’s Sword in my place.”
Ruuna-senpai and Rin-chan seem to be enjoying Heaven’s Sword, and I’d be happy if everyone enjoys the drama I’m in. But more than that, I’m a bit worried about Mikoto-chan, who hasn’t moved at all since earlier. Is she okay? It might just be my imagination, but it looks like there’s a thin smoke coming out of her head…
”The table setting is good with this.”
While consulting with Kanon, I place the small dish with a rabbit for New Year’s, which we bought together, on the Japanese paper table mat. Oh, I need to put the celebratory chopsticks and rabbit chopstick rest too. Yeah, this is enough, it already has a New Year’s feel. I turn my gaze back to the TV.
”Here, Ro-Schutz-Marr and others are appearing, it’s exciting.”
Ai, sitting on the nearby sofa, leans forward eagerly. Next to her, Yui is wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. Yeah, it seems like these two are enjoying it too.
”It’s almost over, should I make ozoni?”
I make ozoni while glancing at everyone from a distance.
Ugh! I feel envious watching Kaede getting caught in a breast sandwich by Kanon and Emily-san right in front of me.
I want to be sandwiched in that soft space too!
”Stop, your big thing been pushing me for a while now!”
”Hey, it’s falling, it’s falling!”
While Kaede is kneading Emily-san’s big mochi behind, I flip the mochi I made with Ai using chopsticks, shedding tears of blood. I want to knead that soft mochi too…
”Hmm, is this good?”
I put the baked mochi in a lacquer bowl and pour broth and ingredients on top. Finally, I put some trefoil on it, and it’s done!
Oh, the ending credits are rolling over there too.
””””Huh?””””
Huh? The four people stationed in front of the TV make silly voices.
”Hey, Kaede-san!? Emily-san too!?”
”Huh? Huh? What’s going on!?”
Hmm? Is something going on with Emily-san and Kaede?
Kanon and Kotono approach the two.
”Speaking of which… our bamboo is often used at Heaven’s Sword gatherings.”
Oh, yeah, because Director Hongou is a regular there. So, what’s the big deal?
”Well, you see, I was like, ‘Hey, wait!’ and placed a ramen bowl in front of Director Hongou, but then she grabbed both of my hands. Without thinking, I said, ‘Our shop doesn’t offer that kind of service,’ and she looked at my hands and said, ‘It’s these hands!’”
Oh, Emily-san’s hands are the hands of the Seijo Midara (Lewd Saint). By the way, where can I go to places that offer the service to freely touch Emily-san?
”I heard it was a well-paying part-time job, so I took it, but I never thought it would be used at Heaven’s Sword… Oh, I even forgot that I was involved in the shooting.”
Kanon sighed softly at Emily-san’s response, while Kotono placed a hand on her forehead and held her head.
”I was asked to make some screaming and groaning sounds, but I never thought that would be part of the Driver’s job. It would have been nice if they had told me…”
In response to Kaede’s comment, Kanon let out a big sigh, and Kotono clutched her head with both hands. Yeah, I understand why those two are like that. But people like me, Kaede, and Emily-san might just take on a job without asking what it is if a friend asks. It’s probably not a good thing, though.
”Hey, everyone, once you’re done watching, we’ll eat osechi!”
”Oh, okay!”
After placing the osechi boxes in the center of the table, I handed each person a small box with chirashi-zushi. Oh, and let’s bring out amazake… Ah, it’s okay, it’s okay, you don’t need to help, everyone just sit and wait.
Today is the first day of the year, right? To show appreciation for everyone who always supports me and Kanon, as the representative of the Shirogane family, please let me warmly welcome you with gratitude for your daily support!
”Oh, Driver is finished, so I’ll go pick up Grandmother.”
”Yeah!”
While Kanon is going to pick her up, I’ll set up everything for Grandmother.
”Aqua-sama, Happy New Year. Thank you for taking care of both me and my granddaughter last year. Thank you for inviting us today.”
”Thank you for your support as well. Please take care of us this year too. Oh, and Grandmother, Happy New Year!”
Alright, more and more people will be coming later, but for now, let’s make a toast. Everyone must be hungry, and I also want to have some food.
”Thank you very much to everyone for last year. Although I still have areas to improve, I am determined to continue working hard. Your enduring support means a lot to me, and I would be grateful if you could continue to watch over me in the years to come.”
I gaze at Kanon and the others, my eyes filled with gratitude.
”Also, the reason I have been able to build such a good relationship with my wives Kanon, Yui, Kotono, and Ai is thanks to everyone who has supported me behind the scenes. Thank you so much. I hope that the four of us can continue to cherish and support each other in the future!”
I raise the cup filled with amazake in my hand and look around. For the underage group, there is only amazake, but for the adults, we have prepared cups of Japanese sake with gold flakes. As I see everyone holding their cups, I raise my hand with the cup slightly elevated.
”Kampai!”
””””””””””Kampai!””””””””””
I quickly gulp down the amazake and indulge in the delicious Chirashi-zushi. Ohhhh, even though I made it myself, it’s so tasty!
Yesterday, I noticed that I had fallen asleep, and since I hadn’t eaten since around noon, the food tasted even better. Now, I filled my stomach with Chirashi-zushi for the time being and looked around. Then, Rin-chan, who was sitting in the seat diagonally in front of me, was enjoying eating sweet chestnut kinton.
”Rin-chan, does the sweet chestnut kinton I made taste good?”
”Oh, it’s delicious.”
Ah, honest Rin-chan is cute. Somehow, I feel like spoiling her. I pick up my sweet chestnut kinton with chopsticks and bring it towards Rin-chan. It’s not good manners, but it’s okay since it’s New Year’s Day today.
”I see, then maybe I should give you mine too. Here, ahh.”
”Ah, ahh…”
Rin-chan, looking a bit embarrassed, munches on my sweet chestnut kinton. Ah, I feel happy. I’ve become really heartwarming since New Year’s Day.
”Hmm?”
What’s up with Kanon and the others, opening their mouths like carp?
”Here, I’ll give you one of my chestnut kintons too, because Kuno——Rin likes sweet things, you know.”
Phew, Emily-san is too kind…
She’s really like a saint. Her body is sexy, but… no, Aqua, that’s not good. Maybe Emily-san is worried that her overly sexy body is being seen in a certain way by others!
But I’m also a healthy young person. So I hope she’ll allow me to have a little… no, just a little bit of a fantasy about her as my companion at night. Because, you know, her body is irresistibly sexy. If Emily-san were a Lewd Saint, even Kenzaki wouldn’t be able to stand up straight and fight.
”*Stares*”
Oops, I pretend not to notice Kanon’s gaze and quickly finish the remaining chirashi-zushi.
What’s up, Kanon? Huh? You think I was looking at Emily-san? Nah, I was just thinking she’s still beautiful, that’s all. Hey, instead of that, why don’t you try Aqua-san’s special black bean dish? I smoothly change the subject and head towards the kitchen counter to get seconds of Chirashi-zushi. At the same time, Ruuna-senpai shows up.
”Oh, Ruuna-senpai, more Chirashi-zushi?”
”Mm.”
I scoop some Chirashi-zushi onto the plate Ruuna-senpai handed me and return it to her. As I hand back the plate, I notice a grain of rice stuck on Ruuna-senpai’s cheek.
”Ruuna-senpai, you have a grain of rice on your cheek.”
”Where?”
Ruuna-senpai touches her cheek, patting it. It looks so soft and squishy…wait, no, there! Ah, not there either.
”Here it is.”
”Ah.”
I picked up a grain of rice that was stuck on Ruuna-senpai’s cheek and ate it.
Upon seeing that, Ruuna-senpai’s cheek turned slightly pink.
Ah… I did it without thinking.
”I’m sorry.”
”No, thank you…”
Hm? I feel someone’s gaze and turn around.
Then I see everyone with grains of rice on their cheeks.
Kanon… I don’t think that’s a good thing to do. Don’t play with food. Geez!
As I try to return to my seat, my phone in my pocket rings. It seems like my mother and the others have arrived.
”I’ll go down to meet my mother and the others for a moment.”
”Okay, I understand.”
I get on the elevator and quickly go down.
When the elevator reaches the first floor and the doors open, I see a resident I’ve passed by before standing there with a convenience store bag.
At that time, too, the person had the hood pulled down deep, making their face invisible. Today, just like back then, they have the hood pulled down deep again, hiding their face. Maybe they’re a famous person? Or perhaps they’re just shy. Either way, I should greet them. I direct a smile towards the resident.
”Happy New Year.”
”Oh, uh, Happy New Year.”
Huh? This voice, it feels like I’ve heard it somewhere before… Is it just my imagination? And these… breasts. They were like this the last time I saw them, too, but these breasts are definitely breasts I’ve seen somewhere. Remember, Shirogane Aqua. Compare them to the breast database in your head!
”Huh?”
When I realized something, I instinctively grabbed the sleeves of that person’s hoodie.
”Could it be… Ui-senpai?”
”Ah…”
Due to my sudden grab, the hood of the hoodie fell, revealing Ui-senpai’s face.
Otomezaki High School’s senior and library committee chair, Sakura Ui-senpai, and I have met a few times in the library.
”Ah, I’m sorry.”
”N-no, it’s okay.”
A slightly awkward atmosphere hangs between us. Ui-senpai had purposely hidden her identity, and I inadvertently exposed it.
”Ui-senpai, I’m truly sorry. Please let me take responsibility for this.”
”Take responsibility!?”
”Yeah, I’ll do anything I can.”
”Anything!?”
”Yeah, so please give me any order, no matter what it is.”
”Any order!? Order Aqua-kun!?”
Ui-senpai repeatedly wears a surprised expression. Huh? What’s wrong?
”Uh, Aqua-kun… Well, you shouldn’t say things like that too much, you know? Because, um, a boy might get dragged into a secluded place and pushed down by a loose woman like me.”
W-what did you say!?
That’s not good. Yeah, not good at all.
Alright, to prevent the second and third Chijo incidents from happening, I’ll need to patrol the areas where those kinds of ladies appear, in place of Kenzaki. So, where do I go to get pinned down by a woman with a body like Ui-senpai?
As I was thinking about such trivial matters, the elevator behind me opened.
”Ui-chan, you’re late! What are you doing——wait, Shirogane Aqua!?”
Huh? Who’s this little kid? She looks… different, but she reminds me of a mini version of Kohina-senpai.
”O-Onee-chan.”
”Onee-chan!?”
Huh? Isn’t Ui-senpai the big sister? Wait, is this girl actually older than me…? She’s what they call a legal loli.
Ui-senpai’s big sister shows a guarded attitude towards me and hides behind Ui-senpai’s back.
Ah, that glaring look. She’s definitely Kohina-senpai.
“Um… Aqua-kun, this person is my sister, Sakura Yukana. Come on, Onee-chan, say hello.”
“Uh, nice to meet you, I’m Sakura Yukana.”
She even looks like Kohina-senpai up to her name. Sakura Yukana has already been input into my mind as Mini Hina-senpai.
“Oh, I’m Shirogane Aqua. I’m always in your care, Ui-senpai.”
I bow my head. However, Mini Hina-senpai doesn’t seem to let her guard down. But when we greeted earlier, her voice was a bit strained, maybe she’s just nervous. Perhaps something happened with a man in the past… for a woman like that, this reaction is not uncommon.
“Nice to meet you, Mini Hina-senpai.”
Oops… I accidentally called her Mini Hina-senpai. However, whether it was effective or not, Mini Hina-senpai, who was cautious just a moment ago, suddenly loosens up completely.
“Oh, well, you’re indeed the famous Shirogane Aqua-san. I-I get it.”
Oh, this person is something else. Trying to imitate Kohina-senpai, huh? Well, when I noticed that, I couldn’t help but find it quite cute. It made me want to pat her head instinctively. And then Ui-senpai approached me and whispered softly in my ear.
”I’m sorry, Aqua-kun. It seems like Yukana-oneechan idolizing Kohina Yukari-san… even though she doesn’t resemble her personality at all, but she’s forcing herself to imitate her. And Reene-oneechan… Oh, there’s one more person. That’s why we’re both a bit worried.”
I apologize. Right now, Ui-senpai’s breasts are hitting my arm, and I couldn’t focus on the words she spoke at all, but could you please say it again? And just as a joke, could you also tell me Reene-san’s breast size… Just kidding! Understanding the situation, I approach Yukana-san and gently place my hands on her shoulders.
”Wha!? U-um… eh!?”
I give Yukana-san a genuinely calm and reassuring smile.
I have a mysterious sense of mission to prevent the creation of any more second or third Morikawa Kaedes, and to prevent the creation of people who can be manipulated like Ayana.
”Yukana-san, I don’t have anything bad to say, but it’s better not to imitate toxic people like Kohina Yukari. It will only create more unfortunate victims like Morikawa-san.”
”Ah, okay. If Aqua-san says so…”
She’s such a obedient and good girl.
Forgetting that she’s older than me, I pat her on the head like I would my little sister, Lapis.
Oops, well, Yukana-san seems embarrassed, but oh well. I’ll just try to make it seem like I’m being responsible while giving her a lot of pats to distract from it.
”Thank you, Aqua-kun.”
Ui-senpai, bending over like that is dangerous. I won’t be able to stand up if you bend over like that too.
Ah? I happen to catch a glimpse of what was inside the convenience store bag that my senpai was carrying while I was thinking about something trivial.
Oh… it’s a huge amount of energy drinks.
And this brand, Seijo Energy, is rapidly gaining popularity lately. Despite its suspicious catchphrase, ‘Holy Water of the Saint,’ Seijo Energy has been flying off the shelves.
Apparently, it gives people a lot of energy when you drink it. Ai, who loves drinking it, said something outrageous on TV the other day, like she can work for 72 hours straight if she drinks it. That’s obviously a joke… right?
”Ah, I’m sorry you two. I held you back.”
”No, it’s okay. See you then.”
Yukana-san tugs at my sleeve.
”Sorry about earlier. I was surprised and glared at you.”
”It’s okay because I don’t care.”
She’s an honest and good girl… I want to somehow make Yukana-san drink some of her nail polish. I see them both off and head to the lobby.
”Good morning!”
Uge….
Apartment lobby, right in the center, Kohina-senpai stood imposingly.
I almost blurted out, “Change,” but I held back. Yeah, it’s Kohina-senpai after all. It’s better to think it’s decent just to wait quietly in the lobby.
Looking around Kohina-senpai, there were my mother and Mikuni-san, Shitori-onee-chan, Ayana and Ako-san, and also Kanata-san, Shintaro and Kiyoko-san, Tenga-senpai and Haruka-san.
Unfortunately, Lapis and Subaru-chan aren’t here, as they said they’re spending New Year’s at training camp.
”Sorry, everyone, for making you wait. I was meeting up with some acquaintances.”
”Hmm… I guess you were wooing one or two girls again anyway?”
Okay! So, when I try to dodge the subject, it becomes suspicious and I start speaking in broken sentences like that. You’re the one who should be worried about getting exterminated by the Driver or purified by Kenzaki, right?
Kohina-senpai… Kenzaki is me. Unfortunately, I am Kenzaki Souji.
”Come on, let’s go upstairs quickly. If we stay here, we’ll be a nuisance to everyone.”
As expected of Ako-san. Ako-san always helps me out! I got on the elevator with everyone and headed to the floor where my room is located. From there, we had a continuous stream of visitors, and Kanon and I took turns greeting them.
”Now then… since everyone is here, I want to distribute New Year’s gifts.”
I placed a box on an empty table. It’s not fun to just give regular New Year’s gifts, so Pegoemon suggested this idea. I’ve been thinking about it for this day.
”Um, inside the box are envelopes with New Year’s gifts. The contents are all the same, but there’s a number stamp on the back of each envelope. So, when you draw one, please declare the number written on it so that I can know.”
Pegonia-san pulled out a whiteboard we had prepared in the back room with a rattling sound. The whiteboard had numbers lined up vertically, and the contents of the prizes written next to them were covered with tape.
”Well then, Pegonia-san, please try flipping over number 1 as a test.”
Written on number 1 is a live concert ticket. I hope everyone will be happy. Pegonia-san follows my instructions and peels off the tape on number 1.
[The Right to Go on a Date with Shirogane Aqua]
Huh!? I freeze as I look at the whiteboard. Wait, what about the concert ticket? I glance at Pegonia-san. Then, Pegonia-san shows me the sign she’s holding in her hand.
[The prize prepared by Master didn’t read the atmosphere, so I changed it here.]
Whaaat?! Pegoemon, you messed up! No one would be happy to go on a date with me!
”It seems like it’s time to get serious.”
Huh? Kaede, why are you making such a serious face that I’ve never seen before? Your usual Hoge-lar waves aren’t coming.
Well, I thought so, but since I intended to go on a date with Kaede from the start, it doesn’t really matter even if she win the right to go on a date.
Yeah, it was only her face that was serious. I feel relieved that it’s the usual Kaede.
”A date with Aqua-sama…”
Emily-san?! If Emily-san wants to go on a date with me, I’m always welcome! So you don’t have to rely on something like this, just tell me anytime that you want to go on a date with me.
”I see, so I can freely use Useless Aqua for a day.”
Kohina-senpai, this isn’t a date. Just a mere servant…
When I was spacing out, Pegonia-san stepped forward in my place.
”By the way, for all the gentlemen and Haruka-san, we have prepared regular New Year’s gifts, so please take these.”
Great. It would be awkward if Shintaro and others won the right to date me or if I went on a date with Haruka-san. But then, for some reason, Tenga-senpai looked extremely disappointed.
Senpai, did you want to go on a date with me!? Oh… you just wanted to hang out together.
Well, if that’s the case, just say so. I’ll go out with you next time.
”By the way, the special prize is the right to have anything done by Aqua-san. Everyone, do your best!”
Wow! I felt like I was being blown away by an intense force.
W-What is it!? There’s a level of hostility and pressure from the ladies that I’ve never felt before.
”It seems like the time has come to get serious.”
Oh, Grandmother!? What’s with the finger-snapping!?
”Toa, little sister, or little brother, which one do you prefer?”
Kanata-san!? What does that mean…?
”Well, either is fine. Looking forward to it, mom.”
Toa, you’re taking it too far!!
”Oh, Aqua-kun, no… not with an old lady like this…”
Kiyoko-san! What on earth, what are you imagining!?
”My chances of winning the grand prize are peaking, gaah!”
Oh, huh? Mikoto-chan? I feel like I heard a strange noise, but it’s just my imagination… right? Yeah, surely. A cute girl like Mikoto-chan wouldn’t make a sound like a broken fax machine.
”I-It’s okay, I’ll protect Aqua-kun!!”
As expected of Ako-san. She’s the most reliable in times like these!
If it’s a naughty request, I’m totally welcome, but I have no idea what Kohina-senpai or the very hesitant Pegonia-san would say if they were to reject it. That’s why the only one I can rely on is Ako-san.
I’m counting on Ako-san to win in the upcoming Dark Nabe New Year lottery. She’s my only hope.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.