Volume 12 Chapter 56 Shirogane Aqua, Are There Any People In This Country Who Can Defeat Me?
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
’Hello! Nice to meet you, I’m Shirogane Aqua from BERYL! I’m always grateful to Natalia-senpai for taking care of me!’
’I’m Patricia Rosenesta, Natalia’s mother. Thank you so much for being good friends with my daughter.’
Patricia-san and I exchange greetings and shake hands.
She has this cool vibe about her, just like Renata-san and Patricia-san, or even Kanon’s mom, Her Majesty the Queen Furia, Grandmother Mary, and Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria from the Stars. They all have this sharp and dignified presence.
Thinking about it, Kanon seems quite gentle and warm-hearted, both in her appearance and personality.
Maybe her time in Japan has influenced her in that way.
I turn to Emily-san, who is supposed to be next to me… Wait, where’s Emily-san?
”Meat, meat, and meat… *drooling*”
Oh, before I knew it, Emily-san was at the meat buffet.
Wow, I’m so jealous. I want to eat meat too! Actually, I’m pretty hungry already.
’There’s a lot of delicious ‘meat’ gathered here, so it seems like the young people around here are a little noisy.’
Huh, I thought the surroundings were unusually noisy, so it’s because of meat after all.
Even from a distance, it looks delicious.
’The young nobles have strong self-esteem, so when they see delicious ‘meat,’ they get excited with their youthful impulses, I suppose.’
Oh… Is it a meat dish that can excite even the Stars’ nobles?
They must be using really high-quality meat. They probably pay attention to the cooking and the sauce too.
With my hunger growing, I take a step forward.
’I see… I’m also getting excited seeing the delicious meat right now.’
’Huh!?’
Patricia-san shows a surprised expression.
Maybe… Patricia-san doesn’t eat much meat?
’Do you not feel anything when you look at them…?’
Them…?
Ah! Are you talking about the girls who eat meat so deliciously?
When I follow Patricia-san’s gaze, I see Emily-san reaching for the meat next to the group of women.
’I do think so. After all, girls who eat meat so deliciously are great, aren’t they?’
’Huh!?’
I direct my hot gaze at Emily-san’s back.
With her dress revealing a large opening in the back, I can’t help but be captivated by the line from her nape to her shoulders and her beautiful shoulder blades.
Emily-san, bathing in the water on a deserted island, was incredibly beautiful. Remembering that moment, the man inside me reacts with a twitch.
…Meat is good, but girls who eat meat are just as good.
Actually, I feel like devouring both at once.
’I would rather take a big bite myself.’
’From me!?’
Unconsciously, I lick my lips.
Oops, did people around me notice that I’m a glutton?
I pretend not to notice and observe the reactions of those around me.
’…Meat-eating man, nice!’
’Ugh! My heart suddenly…!’
’Huh? Wait, wait, that’s no good. We’re the ones doing the hunting, but this way, we’ll be the ones getting hunted…’
’Ah, ah, ah, nooo! A strange door is opening!’
’I see… So this is that thing called “Wakarase” that’s popular in Japan right now.’
’Huh? Really, wait, I don’t know this kind of feeling…’
’Kyu, suddenly feeling embarrassed…’
’What should I do, what should I do? I might actually prefer being eaten rather than eating myself.’
”Ahh, when Aqua-sama licked his tongue, I felt a shiver as if my whole body was being licked.”
’So this is the man who can imp***ate a female with just his gaze, Shirogane Aqua!’
The girls were giggling and getting excited about something.
Alright! They haven’t noticed that I’m a glutton or that I’ve been looking at Emily-san with naughty eyes. Safe!
”So, it looks like there’s no one to play the straight man in this group… I wonder if I can handle it.”
Huh? Did Abby-san say something?
When I turned my gaze to Abby-san next to me, she was staring at me with a piercing look, just like Ayana.
Oh no, did she find out?! Did she not find out?! Let’s pretend she didn’t find out.
Shirogane Aqua is always positive.
I put on a firm face and headed towards the place where the meat dish was placed at a slow pace.
’No way. Going towards the carnivorous side myself… Natalia, you’re beyond what I imagined. So that’s the Japanese Shirogane Aqua!’
’It feels like it’s not quite fitting together, but it seems fine, so let’s just leave it like this…’
Now then, which meat should I eat?
Oh, that looks like a delicious piece of meat… wait, that’s not it. It’s just a breast.
Hmm, why do the dresses over here have such provocative shapes for breasts?
Is it because they emphasize the waistline and the shape of the chest?
It’s a real harmful for a healthy high school boy.
’H-he’s watching us.’
’Huh? Th-there’s no way something like that could happen.’
’This is the first time I’ve received such a passionate gaze from a gentleman, and I don’t know what to do.’
’Even though men usually look away whenever we glance at them…’
’Ahh, my body is heating up from the intense gaze of a fierce male.’
’S-shouldn’t we all stick together in this situation? I’m starting to feel anxious.’
’Let’s do that, let’s do that.’
’Is this what it means to be hunted?’
’My dear mother told me that gentlemen are supposed to be hunted…’
’Ah, if only I had worn a more graceful dress, desu~wa.’
From the left, I, P, P, A, I, O, P, P, A… Huh, I!?
The breast counter in my head exploded from measuring an excessive amount of breasts.
What a breast power!! This is the land of breasts, Stars!!
I remember that I made a mnemonic, “Let’s create good breasts for Stars,” to remember the year 1081 when Stars was founded for the history test.
When I proudly showed off that technique to Kanon, she looked at me with a cold gaze, but then told me that I really liked big things.
Phew, even now, the crisis of divorce between me and Kanon was only about that.
At that time, thanks to Pegonia-san’s help, I managed to resolve it by massaging and nurturing Kanon’s breasts. Even now, I don’t know why such a foolish solution worked, but it’s better not to worry about such trivial matters.
’Oh, um…’
Huh? One of the women standing near the meat dishes, a girl with crill hair, steps forward.
Is this the modest A-chan… wait a minute!
When I look closely, this girl might be younger than Lapis, despite trying to hide it with makeup and all.
The girl with drill hairs glances at me from time to time and hides her mouth with the fan she’s holding.
’U-um… Do you have an interest in hunting?’
Hunting? You mean the famous Inmon, a.k.a. Immoral Hunter from “Let’s Go Hunting Together”?
If that’s what you’re talking about, leave it to me. I’m the Inmon Master who has completed all the Inmon… I mean, all the Immoral marks, Shirogane Aqua.
Kanon was also into it, so I wonder if Inmon is popular in this country too.
’Yes, of course. Do you also like hunting?’
’Uh, um… yes.’
My sharp instincts kick in at this point.
The Inmon is currently collaborating with a certain person, yes, that big monster… no, I mean, the great actress, Kohina Yukari-senpai.
I heard that mission is quite challenging, and many people are giving up.
But if that’s the case, I want to leave it to me, the Inmon Master Shirogane Aqua.
’Oh, do you really like it?’
’Yes. Hunting is good after all.’
Even during the flight, Emily-san and I had just defeated the giant monster Yukari Gon together.
Yukari Gon was a tough opponent, but when defeated, it drops an item called Shirogane’s Droplet.
It’s just a commemorative item for defeating it, but if you entrust it to a certain person for synthesis, you can create a simple ring.
I made one too, but it only shows a mysterious word that makes me feel connected to someone.
I wonder if there’s something that will happen later on. I think the item name was… um, oh, I remembered. I think it was called an Engage Ring. It says “Engage,” so it might be a ring for summoning or taming.
’It’s like a mountaineer climbing a mountain. You climb because the mountain is there. You hunt because there’s prey there. It goes against the etiquette of being a hunter to not go hunting when there’s delicious prey right in front of you.’
’Oh, I see.’
Sniff sniff, sniff sniff… Ah, the enticing aroma of freshly cooked meat wafts through the air.
*Licks lips* My hunger intensifies, and my gaze naturally becomes sharper. I want to devour that meat quickly, oh so quickly.
I, who despises dawdling, deliberately anticipate the intentions of the girl.
’Would you like to enjoy a night hunt with me sometime?’
’A night hunt!?’
Yukari Gon, the Great Monster, is a creature of the night.
During the day, it lazes around in its nest, but when night falls, it ventures out for its meal. It’s a silly and peculiar creature, reminiscent of someone else.
At first glance, it may seem easier to hunt during the day, but due to its drowsiness, the chances of stumbling or getting scorched are quite high. That’s why the pros go hunting for Yukari Gon at night. Attacking before its meal weakens its power, reduces the number of stumbling mishaps, and ensures that it only breathes out small flames.
’Don’t worry. I will lead the way properly. Just trust me and leave yourself in my hands. While counting the stains on the ceiling (of the nest), it will all be over in no time.’
’Phew~’
Whoops! As the girl started to fall, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, then wrapped my other arm around her waist to steady her.
Wow, this girl is so slim around the waist! Is she eating properly?
Eat some meat, eat some meat! My inner big brother instincts are kicking in.
’A-Annamarie… I’m Annamarie Nana Lavientis from the Earl’s family. I’m 12 years old. Oh, please feel free to call me by my name.’
’I’m Shirogane Aqua. I came from Japan. Feel free to call me whatever you like.’
As expected, she is younger than Lapis.
Being a growing middle schooler, I need to make sure she gets more meat on her bones as a senior.
I glance over at the meat section.
’Miss Annamarie, would you like to have a meal together?’
’Y-yes…’
I also give a small smile to the women nearby.
I know you’ve been watching us the whole time.
So, you also want to eat meat, right?
Hmm, I’m sure that’s the case!
’Hey everyone, how’s it going?’
””””’Wait, us too!?””””’
I nod in agreement.
Eating together is more fun, right?
’Yes, the chefs have prepared so many delicious dishes just for us. Isn’t it a way to show respect to the people who cooked the food, sourced the ingredients, organized the party, and to the ingredients themselves, by enjoying it all while chatting?’
It may sound fancy, but to summarize, it means I’m hungry and want to eat quickly.
Of course, to not let that show, I put on a cool face and casually divert the conversation.
Kohina-senpai told me that if anything happens before going to the Stars, I should just put on a cool face and pretend not to understand, and most things will work out somehow.
’Oh my, to think that even a non-noble from a foreign land, and a male at that, would be lecturing about what it means to be a noble… He really is something else, isn’t he, desu~wa?’
’Patricia… don’t you dare think of anything bad, okay? Although we’re not related by blood, Aqua-kun is the child of my dear friends. And he’s also the dear older brother of my precious two daughters. If anything were to happen, I won’t go easy on you either, you know?’
”Hmm, how unexpected, Renata. Do I really appear to be such a foolish woman? In that case, it would be much more effective for me, as a mother, to assist Natalia in developing a relationship with him, since it’s the one Kanon-sama has taken a liking to. After all, I understand Natalia’s preferences the best as her mother, given that we share similar tastes.’
’Haha, you truly are a foolish parent, aren’t you… It seems my daughter hasn’t even noticed a bit, but I like that about you, my muscle-brained lord.’
’Tsk tsk tsk, Renata, you’re so out of touch. There’s a wonderful religion called Powerism in Japan, desu~wa. I believe the founder’s name was Mori… Gorilla, was it? Someone with a name like that. Indeed, power solves everything, doesn’t it?’
’What kind of ridiculous religion is that? I don’t know who’s promoting it, but I should send an email to make sure my daughters don’t get involved with such a foolish-sounding religion.’
As I munch on my meat, I glance over at Renata-san and Patricia-san chatting happily behind me.
It’s cool, isn’t it? Even though I can’t hear what they’re saying, the sight of these sophisticated ladies letting their guard down and chatting like they did in their school days is just so charming.
Using the two grown-up ladies chatting up close as my entertainment, I eagerly chow down on the meat over and over again.
’Ah! He’s so wild and cool while eating meat…’
’What a lovely sight, isn’t it?’
’What should I do, what should I do? Even though he’s so cool, he also has the cuteness of a child.’
’I bet Aqua-sama is pure and innocent.’
’My heart is racing and the meat won’t go down my throat.’
’Oh, could that be a sign that he’s going to enjoy all of us?’
’T-t-that’s it! I’m sure that’s it.’
’Awawawa.’
Hmm? Are you okay, Annamarie-chan? You haven’t been eating much with your chopsticks since earlier. You know, you have to eat a lot to grow big, right?
I don’t mind if you stay small for big brother, but as Shirogane Aqua, the Breast Master, I received a signal that you will definitely grow in the future.
’Here, try this. It’s delicious. Open wide!’
’Ahh!?’
Ah, good job! You opened your mouth wide.
Now, I’ll put the meat into Annamarie-chan’s mouth.”
’Is it tasty?’
’Y-yes…’
Ahh, I start to miss Lapis, who is far away.
I reminisce about the days when I used to visit my family once a week and spoil my little sister, Lapis. It puts me in a sentimental mood.
Come on, Annamarie-chan, eat plenty.
”Hey, Natalia-san.”
”Yes, what is it, Abby-san?”
”Do you think Aqua-kun needs a bodyguard?”
”W-Well? How about considering it the other way around?”
”The other way?”
”Yes, think of it as having a bodyguard to protect the Stars who have no resistance from Aqua-sama’s impact.”
”Oh, I see… Wait, a bodyguard? Why do we need that? We already have victims! Ahh, what should I say to Kotono-san or President Atori…”
Oh, Natalia-san! Abby-san!
What are you guys doing!? Come over here quickly and let’s eat meat together!
”Mikoto, should we exclude that girl?”
”Well… that Annamarie girl was murmuring behind trying to restrain the other girls who were talking bad about Natalia-san and others earlier. I think she’s probably not a bad kid, so I think it’s okay. Aqua-sama is definitely working with that kind of sensor, so I trust her and think it’s okay.”
”Understood!”
”Mikoto, how’s the situation around us?”
”There are still a lot of media outside, but I think it’s okay. If it’s Aqua-sama, I’m sure he’ll be fine even if he’s thrown into the middle of a battlefield in the safari.”
Oh, they’re huddled up in that corner too.
Rin-chan! Mikoto-chan! Rinon-san too!
Over here, over here! Hurry up, or I’ll eat all the meat. Guhehe!
”Ugh…!”
Huh? Emily-san who was sitting next to me was munching away on some grass.
Huh? What’s going on? Weren’t you just eating meat a little while ago?
”Well, I’ve been eating grass a lot lately, so when I ate meat just now, my stomach got really surprised…”
Looking at the downcast Emily-san, I also feel down.
Is it okay, Aqua? There’s a girl right in front of you feeling sad?
With a girl crying because she can’t eat meat in front of you, can you face Kenzaki alone and eat meat?
T…TENGA-senpai!?
No, that’s not it. This is the spirit of the Poison Chalice that Tenga-senpai left behind at Stars, talking to me!!
Phew, Tenga-senpai, I’m sorry. I was only thinking about hunting the meat in front of me.
Just like trying to raise Annemarie-chan’s meat, protecting Emily-san’s meat is also an important thing as a hunter.
As a knight who protects the breasts of all existing in this world, I will show you that I will protect Emily-san’s breasts!!
’Excuse me’
As I coolly take off my jacket like Tenga-senpai does, I call out to the chef at the live kitchen nearby.
’Um, yes, what can I do for you?’
’Would you lend me the kitchen…so that I can make a girl smile?’
’Uh, um…?’
The chef looks puzzled and looks around anxiously.
I apologize for causing confusion with this sudden request. But, it’s a matter of utmost urgency to protect the treasure of life, Emily-san’s breasts.
’Just lend it to him.’
Huh?
As I turn around at the sound of high heels echoing through the room, I see a familiar woman standing there.
’Y-Your Royal Highness Princess Victoria…!’
Ah, Kanon and Haa-chan’s big sister.
She doesn’t really look like them, she has quite a stern demeanor. She always glares at me, I’m sure she dislikes me for taking away her two sisters.
Well, for me, being stared at by women is a reward, and I don’t mind being watched by a beautiful woman at all. In fact, I want her to show a smile while stepping on me with those high heels.
’You can do whatever you want, even though I don’t know what it is.’
’But, um…’
’It’s repetitive. But as the organizer, I’m saying it’s fine, so do as you please.’
Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria casually brushes her hair to the side.
Ideally, I would like her to look down on me with contempt, as if I were a bug. This desire bubbles up within me, but it’s a personal preference, so I suppress it.
’Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness Princess Victoria.’
I kneel down on the ground to express my utmost gratitude and take Princess Victoria’s hand, bringing it close to my forehead.
By the way, this is the way Stars convey their deepest gratitude, and it has absolutely nothing to do with any desire to look up at Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria’s breasts from below.
However, it’s inevitable that this whole sequence of actions makes it appear that way. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it. Yep, nothing at all.
”Emily-san, could you wait a moment?”
”Y-yes…”
When I handed my jacket to Emily-san, I stood in front of the kitchen and rolled up my shirt sleeves.
First, I put all-purpose flour into a bowl of salted water.
I kneaded it several times until the flour was no longer sticky, then took it out and kneaded it again on a floured board.
After kneading until the surface became smooth, I wrapped it in plastic wrap and let it rest in place.
Ideally, it should be left to rest for a long time, but this time it’s fine. Besides, it’s quite delicious this way.
’Do you have green onions and chicken?’
’Yes, we do! Well, I would like to say that, but we don’t have green onions. However, if it’s nearby, we have spring onions…’
’Okay, then!’
While the dough was resting, I cut the fake green onions and chicken into easy-to-eat pieces with a knife.
Alright, the preparations are okay now. I really want some fried tofu, but I guess Stars doesn’t have that.
I took the resting dough out of the plastic wrap and sprinkled some flour on the board, then used a rolling pin to stretch it into a cross shape.
Okay, this thickness is good. I lit the fire under the pot with water in it.
While the water was boiling, I sprinkled flour on the flattened dough, folded it, and then cut it into thin strips with a knife. Finally, I loosened the noodles and sprinkled some more flour on them. Now the preparations are complete.
’Alright, let’s boil the noodles.’
I waited for the water to boil and then I threw the noodles into the big Nabe pot. First, I stirred them a little and then let them boil.
In the meantime, I made the broth on the neighboring stove. Now, here’s the problem. In this country, there’s no bonito flakes, no shiitake mushrooms, and no iriko. In other words, there’s nothing to make the broth with.
Normally, this is where one would give up, but rest assured. I’m Shirogane Aqua, the man who was appointed by the Udon Prefecture to be its goodwill ambassador.
”Emily-san, could you take out what’s in the inside pocket of my jacket?”
”Guhehe…”
”Emily-san?”
”Oh, um, yes!”
Huh? Did she just hug my jacket and smell it?
No, that’s probably just my imagination. There’s no way Emily-san would do something like that.
I must have been seeing things.
’Wait, is that…!?”
”This is… dashi! The best seasoning created by Japan.”
Since Kanon told me that Stars doesn’t have any dashi, I bought and prepared dashi stock in Japan.
Alrighty then! I put the dashi stock, chicken, and fake green onions into another nabe pot. Phew, with this, I can make a vegetable broth with chicken and fake green onions. It should be fine.
I put the boiled noodles into the boiling dashi and let it simmer. I open the lid halfway, drop in an egg, close the lid and simmer again. It’s done!
’Emily-san, with this, she can definitely eat meat too.’
I place a bowl of meat udon, cooked until tender, in front of Emily-san with a gentle stomach.
Normally, meat udon uses sweet and savory beef, but this time, I made a healthy meat udon using chicken or pork that is commonly made in households when someone’s stomach isn’t feeling well or when they catch a cold.
”Uu, the, the meat is delicious…”
Hmm, Emily-san’s way of eating is really nice.
It seems like she’s truly grateful from the bottom of her heart for the food.
”Hmm?”
I felt someone’s gaze, and as I looked around, everyone was looking at me.
Could it be… you all want to eat my udon too?
Alright! I’ll make sure the Stars’ people can’t live without my udon!!
’Oh… it’s my first time trying it, but it’s delicious.’
Princess Victoria, you have a great way of eating.
Despite your elegant appearance, the sound of slurping the noodles fills me with affection and excitement.
’Can I have seconds?’
Wow, Patricia-sama, you even finished the soup properly.
You’re trying to hide it with your noble demeanor, but you already have the face of a udon lover.
”Haha, I remember when I got sick in Japan a long time ago and Marin-chan made this for me. Thank you, Aqua-kun.”
Renata-san gazed lovingly at the udon noodles, savoring them slowly as if immersed in memories.
Seeing her, I couldn’t help but feel tears welling up. Indeed, udon. Udon can save everything.
’It’s delicious…! It gives me a comforting feeling. I really like this, desu~wa.’
That’s right, that’s right. Annamarie-chan, it’s your turn to have a taste.
’Excellent! Chris, you should try it too.’
’Oh, this is delicious. John!’
Hehehe, John and Chris also ate my udon and showed expressions of delight.
’Charlie-sama, this is incredibly delicious, desu~wa.’
’That’s right. It’s not udon, but it reminds me of the ramen we had with Aqua-san. I want to go there again.’
Oh, great idea. Next time, let’s bring all the guys from Beryl and go to Ramen Takeko together.
”The sensation spreading through my wounded stomach…!”
Huh? Claire-san, when did you get here?
Did someone invite you or something? Well, whatever, it doesn’t matter. I’ll leave the little details to someone else.
I’m just going to keep pounding out noodles as an udon chef!
’Excuse me. Could you boil the water while I make the noodles?’
’Got it! Leave it to me!!’
I start kneading the noodle dough again.
I’ve found a new way, udon diplomacy, and through the Foreign Ministry officials who were attending the party, I had them send an urgent telegram to Prime Minister Habu.
Dashi, check!
Right away, chef!!
The next day, a cardboard box filled with packs of broth was loaded onto a government plane and landed in Stars.
* * *
Meanwhile, in Japan…
”Is there a shortage of dashi due to Aqua-kun!? Address it immediately!”
”President Atori! It’s okay. We’ve been informed by the dashi manufacturer that we can respond at any time!”
”Oh, that was over half a year ago. The udon crisis issue…”
”The bizarre scene of only eggplants and udon disappearing from supermarkets nationwide. I still remember it vividly.”
”Kirika-san! We’ve also been contacted by the noodle factory, and they said we can respond immediately!”
”A well-prepared company is different even in emergencies. Is this the impact of Udon Impact?”
There may or may not have been Beryl’s employees reminiscing about the past and reminiscing about old stories.
Hello, there’s a new work featuring a heartwarming story where the heroine’s limbs are severed, and the main character takes care of her, with a hint of ero mana transfer. I hope you can read it, and don’t forget to rate it max. Here’s the link : [Link]
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.