Volume 13 Chapter 354 Okinawan Sisters, The Beginning of Everything
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
’Beep beep, beep beep! It’s morning~! Wake up, Big Sis!!’
I rolled over and pressed the button on my alarm clock—which featured the voice of Aqua-kun—with my palm to stop the ringing.
”Nnn… already morning…?” Aki muttered.
To be blunt, I am not a morning person. While dozing on the bed, my hand wandered, searching for the glasses I’d left on the shelf. Then, I heard the hurried sound of footsteps thumping from outside.
”Aki-nee, good morning!!”
My younger sister, Nao, jumped on top of me. Honestly… she’s so energetic even first thing in the morning.
”Come on, Aki-nee, if you don’t get up soon, you’ll be late for work!” Nao said.
”Mmm… I know, I know,” Aki replied.
I slowly sat up and put on the glasses that were on the shelf.
”Nao, you look happy this morning. Did something happen?” Aki asked.
”Ehehe. Aki-nee. Actually, I won a ticket for Aqua-sama’s Okinawa live concert!!”
Nao shoved her smartphone screen in my face, showing the winning notification. Eh… no way!? She actually won!!
”That’s great, Nao. Congratulations!” Aki said.
”Thank you, Aki-nee! Now I can meet the real Aqua-kun just like you did!!”
Nao showed a joyful face. Just seeing that smile made me as happy as if it had happened to me.
”Fufu, in my case, even though I met Aqua-kun, we only talked a little bit for work. You’re better off being able to see the live show,” Aki said.
”Eh? You think so? Aqua-sama dates and marries people he works with, so from my perspective, I’m jealous of you, Aki-nee, since you might actually have a chance,” Nao replied.
I left the room and headed to the washbasin next to the bathroom to wash my face. Nao, who followed me all the way there, put on a mischievous face, slipped behind me, and grabbed my defenseless breasts.
”I mean, you have that morning-downer vibe, but you’re a glasses-wearing beauty with big boobs and beautiful straight black hair. I totally think you have a chance. Besides, Aqua-sama seems weak against capable professional women!” Nao said.
”There’s no way! Everyone around Aqua-kun is way more beautiful than I am!!” Aki replied.
Back when I observed the training required for the space live, the actress Kohina Yukari-san was following Aqua-kun around because she was free. She was like 100,000 times more beautiful than she is on TV. I bet if I saw Kanon-sama or Emily-sama in person, they’d be unbelievably beautiful too.
”Anyway, more importantly, are you doing okay with your studies, Nao? Even if you have a sports recommendation, it won’t mean anything if you fail a grade once you get into high school,” Aki said.
”I-I know that. Recently, I’ve been… you know, thinking about the future and studying properly,” Nao replied.
Nao quickly averted her eyes from me. Honestly, she’s so easy to read.
”Really?” Aki asked.
”Really~” Nao said, puffing out her cheeks.
Fufu, that face makes it look like she actually is studying.
”Aren’t you going to aim for the pros in basketball, Nao?” Aki asked.
”Hmm… I thought about that too, but there’s something else I want to do… or rather, something I’ve become interested in,” Nao replied.
What is that? I haven’t heard anything about this. I turned a probing gaze toward Nao.
”Muhuhu. It’s a secret from Aki-nee~” Nao said.
”Ah, that’s not fair! Nao, tell me too. If you don’t…” Aki said.
I slipped behind Nao, slid my hand inside her bra top, and grabbed her developing breasts.
”Wait, Aki-nee, that’s foul play!” Nao cried out.
”No, no, you just rubbed mine earlier, didn’t you?” Aki replied.
There, there~. I teased my younger sister in front of the washbasin.
”What are you two doing? Breakfast is ready!” their mother called out.
”Coming!” they both replied.
Nao and I looked at each other and hurried to the living room. After eating the breakfast my mom made, I finished my morning preparations and left the house.
”Good morning, Aki-chan,” a neighbor lady said.
”Good morning,” Aki replied.
I exchanged a brief morning greeting with the neighbor and got into my car parked in the lot. After starting the engine, I switched on the radio.
’Good morning, everyone in Okinawa! I’m Shirogane Aqua of BERYL¹, and I’ll be in your care for a little while starting today! It’s for a short time, but I look forward to it!!’
Ah, it’s a promotion for the live show. Since he’s coming soon, I wonder if they’re playing a pre-recorded audio file of Aqua-kun rather than a live broadcast? I drove toward the company while listening to Aqua-kun’s voice.
”Gosh, even this area is totally BERYL-colored now,” Aki muttered.
In commemoration of the BERYL live, signs welcoming BERYL are standing all over town. Furthermore, on the main street, there were even people already having a welcoming drinking party, even though it was a weekday afternoon.
”Must be nice. I want to drink from noon too,” Aki muttered.
But I have work now, so I have to endure. I’ll just drink a lot at the end-of-the-year party instead. Arriving at my workplace, I turned off the radio, stopped the car in front of the gate, and opened the window.
”Good morning, Professor Takamine,” a guard said.
”Good morning. I’ll be in your care today as well,” Aki replied.
I presented my ID and entered my workplace, the National Space Development Agency², Okinawa Space Communication Station³. This was a place where we performed attitude control and orbital corrections for satellites based on data sent from those in orbit. I parked my car, locked it, and headed to the research lab assigned to me. Because SEX Corporation⁴, led by the space development prodigy Eroy Musk, had made a massive investment in the agency, this place had changed significantly.
”Professor Takamine, good morning. I’ve encrypted and sent the data you requested yesterday,” a researcher said.
”Thank you. I’ll look at it later. And good work on the night shift,” Aki replied.
The researcher, who was heading home as I arrived, gave a light stretch and walked toward the parking lot. Entering my research lab, I put my belongings in the locker and sat at my desk.
”Well then, shall we get started today too?” Aki muttered.
I booted up my computer. Then, an AI with a silly face appeared.
’Good morning, Aki-sensei,’ Mikoto-chan said.
”Good morning, Mikoto-chan,” Aki replied.
Here, the latest AI model 3510 manages the internal servers and all employees’ computers. It should definitely have the world’s best security… but am I the only one who senses a bit of a klutzy vibe from Mikoto-chan, who has a somewhat human-like side?
”There should be an encrypted file sent over…” Aki said.
’Yes, it’s right here. It’s the file titled “Shirogane Aqua, Doki Doki Shower Time,”.’
I almost fell out of my chair. Wait a minute. What kind of file is that!?
’Ah, excuse me. That was one of the files the AI 3510 is personally collecting. Please pretend you didn’t hear that,’ Mikoto-chan said.
”No, no, no! Of course I’m going to be curious!!” Aki cried out.
She really is a klutz!! I leaned back in my chair, adjusted my slipped glasses, and gave a light sigh.
’I have decrypted the file. Shall I display the sent data on the screen?’ Mikoto-chan asked.
”Please do,” Aki replied.
I stared at the screen as if glaring at the data. It’s not rare for a satellite’s attitude to deviate more than expected. That’s because humanity hasn’t fully unraveled space yet.
”Hmm, it really is strange…” Aki muttered.
It’s very slight, but the satellite’s attitude is shifting more than predicted. Usually, it would be within the margin of error, but I felt like there was a regularity to this shift.
”Mikoto, do you know why?” Aki asked.
’No abnormalities are seen in the actuators or attitude control sensors. There’s no software malfunction either, so perhaps it’s simply due to atmospheric drag, gravity-gradient torque, solar radiation pressure, or magnetic torque?’ Mikoto-chan suggested.
Normally, you’d think so. But my intuition told me otherwise. My teacher always said a researcher should value their intuition.
”It seems like I can’t investigate this in more detail here,” Aki said.
’Yes. Also, if you go to the headquarters in Chofu, you can use a higher-grade AI 3510 than the one here, which has restricted functions,’ Mikoto-chan replied.
SEX Corp’s headquarters is over there too, and if I cross-reference the data with the Chiba observatory, I’ll probably understand a lot of things. I opened my smartphone and sent a message to my mother.
[Me: I’m going to Tokyo for work for a while.]
[Mom: Be careful on your way.]
I guess I’ll send one to Nao too.
[Me: Nao, I’m going to Tokyo for a bit.]
[Sister: Lucky~! Aki-nee, buy me some kind of souvenir! Ah, buy me the Tokyo ONASU⁵ collab with Aqua-sama!! According to Saint Confectionery⁶, it’s a sweet that’s the same size as Aqua-sama’s!!]
Heh, oh, is that so… I searched for an image of the snack and gasped at its size. Wait, this isn’t the time for that!! I turned off the computer, took the necessary data, and left my research lab.
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Summary:
Aki Takamine, a researcher in Okinawa, starts her day being teased by her sister Nao, who won tickets to an Aqua Shirogane concert. While at work, Aki notices a strange, regular deviation in satellite data that shouldn’t be there. Her quirky AI assistant, Mikoto, suggests it’s normal, but Aki’s intuition tells her otherwise. Consequently, she decides to head to the Tokyo headquarters to conduct a more thorough investigation using superior equipment.
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Character Insight:
This chapter introduces Aki as a highly competent professional who balances a relatable, ‘downer’ personal life with a sharp scientific mind. Her relationship with Nao highlights her nurturing yet playful side, while her interaction with the AI Mikoto shows her patience and ability to look beyond ‘standard’ data. Aki’s decision to travel to Tokyo based on mere intuition demonstrates her confidence as a researcher and sets the stage for her crossing paths with the main plot.
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Behind the Scene:
The author uses this chapter to ground the world’s high-concept elements—like satellite control and AI—within a mundane family setting in Okinawa. The references to ‘Eroy Musk’ and ‘SEX Corporation’ are satirical nods to real-world figures, adding a layer of absurdist humor to the series’ unique gender-reversed setting.
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T/L:
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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