Volume 13 Chapter 298 Shirogane Aqua, Nocturne of Darkness Game and the Doomed Nation’s Flashbang
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
We barely made it into the Warsaw safehouse before bullets started flying.
”Chiyoko, Aqua-kun—this way, hurry!!”
President Maitrix ran ahead, heels pounding sharp against the floor, coat fluttering behind her like a banner. Even under fire, she looked perfectly composed—an action heroine straight out of a film.
Prime Minister Habu and I followed, and compared to her, we looked like two extras trying not to trip on the set.
”Found them! Over there!!”
”Take the shot!!”
Perfect. Another squad stormed in from the opposite entrance.
”Dodge!!”
”Whoa—!?” My body jerked as bullets tore past. Maitrix twisted sideways into cover like it was choreographed, hair flashing under the dim light.
…Okay, maybe she was too good at this. But hey, I’d been running “classroom terrorist invasion” drills in my head since middle school. That counted for something.
”Chiyoko, use this!!”
Without breaking stride, Maitrix snatched up a heavy attaché case and hurled it toward Habu.
”Uooooh!?”
The prime minister—her skirt swishing awkwardly as she stumbled—caught it and ducked back. She clutched the case to her chest, bullets clanging harmlessly against it.
”Wha—this thing’s insane!?” she yelped.
I gawked. Damn. That bag was indestructible. I wanted one too.
”It’s a Kaiba-brand case,” Maitrix declared coolly, her voice ringing even over the gunfire. “Blocks bullets, smashes enemies, and—if you keep your Heaven’s Sword cards inside—protects them without a single scratch. Now, open it!!”
[T/N: T/N: “Kaiba-brand” is a parody of Seto Kaiba (from Yu-Gi-Oh!), who’s infamous for making over-the-top merchandise and technology centered around Duel Monsters.]
”R-right!!”
Habu cracked the latches open, and both of us leaned over—then froze.
”Th-this is—!?”
Inside were three copies of the legendary ATG card: Blue Ice White Dress, Kanon.
Wait. Hold on. Those were supposed to be one-of-a-kind. How the hell were there three here?
”Look closer, Aqua-kun.” Maitrix’s tone stayed sharp, almost scolding. “They’re fakes. That’s the knockoff Emily-chan version, not the real Kanon-san. The genuine three are with Emily-chan, Kanon-san, and Victoria-sama. You should know that.”
”Oh… right…”
And just like that, my brain betrayed me, dragging me back to the night I lost my own Kanon card. Against her. Against Victoria-sama.
Her voice echoed in my memory, velvet and teasing. “Oh? Don’t you feel like giving me that card?”
I remembered her lowering herself, her eyes flicking upward at me from beneath—rare, impossible. Usually she looked down on me, literally. That sudden reversal nearly short-circuited my brain.
She toyed with me, whispering things that made my heart pound and my body betray me. I fought it, tried to stay cool, but she leaned closer, lips brushing, breath hot against my skin. Every sigh rattled through me like a spell.
Victoria-sama always carried herself like a queen, but that night she let the mask slip, speaking softer, closer, almost tender. Jealousy laced her words when I drifted, sharp enough to yank my focus back to her.
She teased. She coaxed. She pressed me with warmth I’d never expected, the edge of dominance softening into something almost affectionate. And when her laughter melted into a hushed, “Then… call me your onee-chan,” I—I actually did.
”Vivi… onee-chan…”
The smile she gave me then was devastating. A rare, unguarded smile, like she’d won the greatest prize of all.
And what happened after that… I can’t even put into words.
The memory blurred into heat and darkness, everything collapsing into sensation. My thoughts tangled, breath caught, and before I knew it, the world went black at the edges.
I shook myself back to the present, heart hammering. Damn it. Why was that the flashback my brain chose now, of all times!?
That’s where we’re left: bullets flying in Warsaw, a Kaiba-brand suitcase shield, and me still haunted by my “dark game” loss to Victoria-sama.
Victoria-sama’s voice still rang in my ears, sultry and sharp.
“Or maybe… you really wanted your onee-chan to take care of you until the very end? I could use my hands, of course… but wouldn’t it feel so much better if you let it all out inside me instead? Tell me, dear little brother—which would you prefer?”
Her words melted into my skin like fire. I froze, unable to answer. She leaned closer, her breath brushing against my ear, sending a shiver through me.
“You don’t have to hold back. Let me handle everything. Just focus on me… focus on how good I’ll make you feel.”
Her arms pulled me close, her warmth pressing in, overwhelming. My mind slipped, numbers falling away—IQ dropping like a bad gacha pull—until all I could do was lean into her.
“Good boy,” she whispered, her tone a mixture of command and affection that tore down the last of my resistance.
The rest blurred. Heat, closeness, the weight of her body against mine. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Just her voice, her laugh, her promise:
“Give it all to me, little brother. Everything.”
Darkness closed in at the edges of my vision. The memory shattered—
”Aqua-kun, you spaced out! Are you okay!?”
President Maitrix’s voice snapped me back to reality.
”I—ah, sorry.”
Right. Reality check. No more daydreaming. But seriously… what was the point of those cards?
”That card’s not the real prize,” Maitrix cut in, eyes gleaming. “Look beneath it. Our nation’s new prototype weapon—Stars’ very own Burst Stream flashbang. Use it!”
Whoa. It looked straight out of a spy flick.
Prime Minister Habu pulled out three devices from under the cards, yanking the pin on one and tossing it straight at our attackers.
”Ugh—!? Blinding!!”
We were ready for it, eyes clenched shut as the room exploded in searing light.
”Now! Run!! This way!!”
The three of us bolted after Maitrix, retracing our steps. Wait—wasn’t this a dead end? What was she planning—?
Back in the previous room, Maitrix rushed to a massive bookshelf, tugging volumes one by one.
”Aqua-kun, help me! One of these has to be the switch for a hidden door. Chiyoko—hold them off!”
”Got it!!”
”Leave it to me. Arnie!!”
Prime Minister Habu hurled a second flashbang, then scrambled to flip tables and topple shelves, blocking the entrance. I threw myself at the nearest stack of books, eyes darting over the spines.
[The Idol’s True Job, vol.1 / Author: Hakuryuu Aiko]
[Proper Ways to Polish a Sacred Object / Author: Workaholic]
[New S** Education Textbook / Author: Professor Shirogane Aqua, Translated by Mayuzumi Shintaro]
[The New Testament of Desire / Author: Saint Emily]
[World-Class Dogeza Etiquette / Author: Habu Chiyoko]
Oh hey, my textbook! Without thinking, I yanked it free.
Click—whir. The whole shelf split open down the middle.
No way. A classic spy-movie secret passage! Tenga-senpai would have lost his mind over this.
”Aqua-kun! Well done! Now, get in!”
I dove in with Maitrix, realizing the interior was actually an elevator shaft.
”Chiyoko, hurry!!”
”Already on it—Arnie!!”
Habu dashed in after us, tossing the last flashbang over her shoulder as the barricade blew apart behind us. Perfect timing—the door sealed, and the elevator lurched downward.
”Phew. That was close.”
”Yeah… wait, isn’t this elevator a little… cramped?”
I realized too late: I was wedged between Maitrix and Habu, my face completely smothered against soft pressure.
Ugh. Their chests were… lethal. Dense, elastic, overwhelming. For a second I forgot we were still in mortal danger.
”S-sorry! This really isn’t on purpose.”
”Forgive us, Aqua-kun. We didn’t plan it either.”
”I-it’s fine,” I croaked, trying to keep a serious face while suffocating in bliss.
Their warmth pressed closer, sticky with sweat in the unventilated shaft. The air grew heavy, laced with their scent, dragging me straight back to the memory I was trying to escape. My lower half twitched traitorously.
No. Focus. I had to focus. World peace depended on it. Probably.
Finally, the elevator jolted to a stop. The doors opened, and we tumbled out, racing onto a streetcar waiting nearby.
If that ride had lasted a moment longer, I was certain my “magnum” would have betrayed me.
We kept moving, ducking into an old, run-down motel straight out of some States spy flick.
”Arnie, what’s the plan now?” Habu asked.
”We head further west, out of Warsaw,” Maitrix replied. “If their goal is to dismantle the World Union, we need to stop them. And in the meantime, we must uncover the traitor. The presidential flight path was leaked, and one of the infiltrators was among us. There’s no doubt—someone in States has betrayed us.”
Habu frowned, thoughtful. “But… Arnie. What if that’s exactly what they wanted us to believe?”
Maitrix’s eyes narrowed. “Chiyoko… what do you mean?”
Prime Minister Habu folded her arms, eyes narrowing in thought before she spoke.
”Looking at everything so far, I don’t think the enemy’s real goal is dismantling the World Union. It feels more like they’re trying to plant suspicion between nations. Making us believe there’s a traitor among us—that’s just another one of their plays. Which means… the next target could very well be Japan.”
Her gaze flicked toward me.
Eh? Me? No way, right? I didn’t… do anything again… did I?
”…You mean AI3510?” Maitrix asked weakly.
”Yes. By my calculations, it makes no sense that, even after more than twenty-four hours since the crash, they still haven’t located us. That alone feels off.”
AI3510… that was an AI, wasn’t it? And “they”—who was she talking about? My brain spun question marks.
Habu picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
“Breaking news. At present, the Eastern Republic of Stars has requested confirmation from Stars regarding alleged espionage within its borders. Meanwhile, the Far East Federation has formally questioned States about reports of a covert operation revealed online. And concerning the leaked fossil fuel trade deal between the Eastern Arabian Federation and Japan, the Nordic Stars Union has announced its own investigation. With the summit approaching here in London, tensions are mounting.”
Crap. I couldn’t understand a word of the local language.
Maitrix’s eyes widened as she turned to Habu.
”No… don’t tell me AI3510 was hacked? Is that how they got all this intelligence?”
”That’s exactly the trap,” Habu replied firmly. “Satellites keep logs of data transmission. You don’t even need hacking if you have people with the right access. This is about insiders.”
Maitrix’s jaw tightened. “So the whispers were true… Most of the military and communications giants trace back to the founders of the old Women’s Mutual Aid Society. If they were behind the plane’s maintenance, then of course our flight path was exposed. Dammit.”
Women’s Mutual Aid Society… wasn’t that the one from history class? I remembered: when the male population dwindled, that society rose up, spreading their philosophy through the Stars Orthodox Church. The textbook said it was the foundation of peace. Honestly, way over my head. I decided to leave the thinking to the two pros. My mission was simpler: get the three of us back alive.
”Arnie, we should head to London for the summit,” Habu said. “If the Society really is behind this, we can’t take them on directly. Even if we catch low-level operatives, there’ll never be proof. Officially, the Society’s just a hollow shell now anyway.”
”You’re right,” Maitrix said after a beat. “If anything, all we can do is stand tall at the summit, show unity, and declare that we won’t be divided.”
Habu took Maitrix’s offered hand.
”Arnie… are you sure? AI3510 might still be leaking secrets. And Japan is the one holding it, not us.”
”Then let them monitor us, just as we monitor them,” Maitrix replied, her voice steady. “What matters is how we use information, not simply having it. As long as neither of us strays from justice or reason, we remain neighbors—and friends.”
She pulled Habu into a hug. Honestly? It was the kind of moment I wanted the whole world to see. This—this was how you made things better.
”And besides,” Maitrix added with a wry smile, “I owe AI3510 personally. If not for the weakening of the Stars Orthodox Church’s influence, I’d never have been elected. Rosenberg would still be president.”
”You never change,” Habu sighed softly. “Then I’ll pray you keep leading as long as possible. And no, not to the Orthodox Church’s god—to ours.”
Maitrix leaned close, whispering something in Habu’s ear before giving her a playful wink. Habu giggled and passed the wink on to me.
…So of course, I winked at Maitrix too.
”Maybe our country should drop the Orthodox Church and adopt that god instead,” Maitrix muttered. “A god you can actually meet, shake hands with…”
”And hug, and talk with,” Habu added, both women grinning.
Then they leaned toward each other, whispering and chuckling like I wasn’t even there.
Wait. Seriously? Secret girl-talk without me? For a moment, I actually understood how Kohina-senpai feels when she’s left out. Fine. Maybe I’ll be just a little nicer to her when I get back.
…Not that I’m not already! I mean, come on, at this point it’s straight-up caregiving! What more do they want from me!?
I sighed and tsukkomi’d myself in silence.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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