MaruMA:Gaiden02:Chapter 2

Let's Meet Again in Shin Makoku

"Have I met you somewhere before?"

After thinking for a moment, Conrad shook his head.

In the public hospital crowded on account of the weekend, Mrs. Shibuya realized she was bouncing her leg.

When she was forced to rush to Clemens Memorial Hospital because her second son got a fever during the family doctor's extended leave, it was jam-packed. She had to wait two hours for an examination and now she was waiting an hour for the prescription.

Ironically, her second son ended up recovering in the waiting room where the indoor heating worked so well it was hot. Right now his eyes were wide and clear and he was happily kicking around in his baby carriage.

Ah, if he was this healthy I wouldn't have rushed so much to get to the hospital that I left Shou-chan with a sitter. After all, Mrs. Magritte next door is very old. Left to look after my eldest son in the peak of his naughty period, there's a high chance that she'll end up being played around with instead. Shibuya Shouri, feared by the neighbors as the five year old child of ice, was an expert at pushing over the elderly with a cold look in his eyes. When I think of an old woman being played around with by my smart son, I can't sit still.

I wonder what 'bouncing a leg' is called in English? *bounce bounce* POOR QUIRK?

Actually, do Americans bounce them when they can't relax? *bounce bounce*

December in Boston was full of snow and everywhere in town was in CHRISTMAS MODE. People bundled up in coats and scarves were holding multi-colored presents and walking about. She passed six Santa Clauses as she pushed the baby carriage on the way to this hospital. The benches in the waiting room were also dressed up for the event and there was gold tinsel on the backs of seats.

Why are they getting this excited even though there are still two weeks until Christmas? Even if it is the day that god was born, it's too early to get in a holiday mood. For example, I've never seen anyone in the Buddhist country of Japan get happy about the birthday of Buddha.

Mrs. Shibuya suddenly realized something when she thought about that.

What if this CHRISTMAS SEASON is the origin of my husband and son's lineage!?

They don't have wings or horns or chin beards, but her husband CAME OUT as a mazoku. Even if an amateur without much faith thought about it, they couldn't think that mazoku and God got along well. On top of it all, her currently four-month-old, second son had been nominated to be the next Maou of another world.

"... It can't be... It can't be that he's been having a bad time right before Christmas because he's the future Maou, right? Is being made to wait three hours God harassing him a little?"

There's no way. Her husband is always telling her that mazoku and demons are different species. In actuality, the current Maou, Bob, sends a Christmas card and present to their family and son every year. However, this is also harassment because it's all football goods and her baseball fanatic husband ends up selling them at the area's bazaar.

The second son, Yuuri, gave a happy shout from inside the pink and light-blue baby carriage. A Santa Claus bleeding from the top of his head had been brought in on a stretcher.

"Kya! Don't look! Don't look, Yuu-chan! Th-this isn't the environment for a baby!"

A public hospital in December is indeed lively and the percentage of injured Santas is quite high. Recently there are no businesses that are safe. Even Santa Claus is a dangerous occupation. Next to the fire extinguisher is a homeless man with a pointy hat and there is a young man gripping ladies' stockings quietly mumbling something in front of the bathroom.

"Hey, this, there's too much of an exotic atmosphere..."

In order to not show him a shocking scene, she desperately continues to try to distract her second son. She tried telling ghost stories to the infant who doesn't understand words while imitating Inagawa Junji, but she ran out of stories to tell.

"Mrs. Shibooya, Mrs. Miko Shibooya."

"Here! But being called by my full name makes me feel like the back cover of a weekly magazine."

Finally having her name called by the reception desk, Mrs. Shibuya pushed the carriage to the counter. They might finally write the prescription for her. The young doctor who saw her son an hour ago is standing there with a chart in one hand. He was awfully smiley. The thin, blonde beard that looked like fuzz was softly swaying in the warm air from the heater. It was a calming sight.

Guessing from his age and attitude during the examination, he was at most a resident. Maybe I should go somewhere else? Mrs. Shibuya was thinking something along the lines of what a salary man going home from a drinking party would. It's not like she was doubting his diagnosis, but a young doctor growing the beard of a student was worrying.

A tall, young brunette was next to him smiling. Her thin, curly hair was pulled together over her right shoulder and draped over top of her purple shirt. Her breasts are huge, no, that's unimportant, but she's a beauty with thick eyelashes and dignified eyebrows who looks like she can work well. However, the nurse's gaze sent at me, the mother, had a vaguely hostile feel to it...

The woman spoke while smiling.

"Oh, what a cute baby! He's four months? Oh, he's looking at me and smiling!"

"Eh? Yes, that's right. He has such a low fear of strangers it's unbelievable."

Honestly, our son is too friendly to everyone.

Without knowing his mother's complicated feelings, Yuuri faced the woman he had seen for the first time and was sticking out both of his legs and arms to her with all his might.

"How cute! Hey, is it okay if I hold him for a bit?"

"Ah, yes, please. He'll be very happy."

In his pink coveralls, Yuuri looked very pleased being held by the beauty with large breasts in her early twenties. His tiny right hand is firmly gripping at her breast.

That's good, that's good. Master that skill while you can. After all, in another ten years no one will let you touch them anymore. Mother Shibuya nodded magnanimously and overlooked her son's recklessness.

"Thank you for waiting, Mrs. Miko Shibooya. Oh? Your writing is very pretty."

"Thank you. I recommend the binder-style teaching materials. And doctor, how is my child?"

"Your son is fine. It was a light cold. His fever is down so if you keep him warm and let him rest, there shouldn't be any issues. Ah, and then..."

The pediatrician with the messy blonde hair handed the chart to the young woman next to him and he suddenly started talking faster.

"And then here is the social worker, Monet Mondemile. As a result of the examination, there was concern that your child is suffering abuse, so we had her come from Child Protective Services."

"Huh?"

"It's abuse."

"Huh!?"

It wasn't just shocking, it was completely out of the blue so Mrs. Shibuya was dumbfounded.

When she looked next to him, Miss Mondemile in the purple shirt was starting to walk away holding the Shibuya family's second son tightly.

"Wait what? Yuu-chan, where are you taking my child!? Ah! I said this before, but I absolutely will not allow you to circumcise him! Japanese boys have traditions and beauty standards all of their own, okay...!"

"You can't, Mrs. Shibooya." The doctor with the blonde, downy hair grabs her right arm. "This is to protect your son from abuse. We will keep him in a safe place until we get the results from the investigation."

"Wait, when you say abuse, who is doing it to who!? Neither I nor my husband have any idea-..."

Maybe it was that? Was it bad to surround his BABY BED with baseball goods when we still didn't know when he was going to open his eyes? In other words, infringing on his freedom to choose sports.

Not only that, was it made even worse since the goods weren't things from the local Red Sox but exclusively from Japan's Pa League? Was this also coercion into favoring a specific baseball team?

Or maybe it was bad that I went behind my husband's back and got an arrangement of girl's clothes because Yuu-chan was a little cute? Maybe in America that kind of trivial fun was criticized as hindering the development of self. No, if I confess, I didn't just gather clothes, I even had fun making him wear them. I even put frilly ribbons in his hair that was still soft and short.

What a grave sin!

"But, but, Yuu-chan was happy too, you know!? He wasn't at all displeased with the princess dresses, you know!?"

"No, Mrs. Shibooya, this isn't about the dresses. The problem is the large bruise on your son's body."

"Bruise?"

Bruise... bruise... she had no idea what he was talking about. Neither she nor her husband had ever hit Yuu-chan and they had never accidentally dropped him. They had never thrown, caught, or hit him with a bat either.

"Listen, you should go home for today. And until the court approves, you should avoid leaving your house if possible."

"When you say a safe place... Ah, wait a minute, Miss Mondemile! Don't just take my child away! He's absolutely not being abused! When I say we're not, we're not!"

"Calm down, Mrs. Shibooya."

"Let go of me, you fuzzy head, or else I'll attack you with three rounds of the ULTRA JENNIFER SPECIAL!"

Being told the name of a lethal move, the pediatrician's face paled. Maybe the awesomeness of it was conveyed through the words.

"Someone call security! Stop Mrs. Shibooya!"

All of the nurses in the waiting room looked in their direction with eyes that said 'this again?' It seems they're used to this sort of scene.

"I said wait, Miss Mondemile! You don't know whether or not he's been abused by just rubbing him, right? Hey wait! You won't listen to Hamano's Fencing Queen, Shibuya Jennifer!? Ah, whoops, I accidentally SWITCHED ON sports MODE..."

While they were 'stroogling,' Miss Mondemile was heading to the back exit of the hospital with the pleased Yuuri's cheek pressed to her breast. She had to get this poor baby away from his demon mother as soon as possible. She was very passionate about her work.

The warm body wrapped in pink coveralls was moving around energetically along with his happy cries.

"Ahh~"

His black, round eyes were staring straight at Mondemile's face and right away her whole face lit up in a smile. The woman who loved children by nature couldn't stand it anymore and she squeezed the Asian baby tight.

"Oh, you're so adorable~! Yuuri, your name is Yuuri, right~?"

Not knowing the situation he was in, Shibuya Yuuri opens and closes both of his hands in response. This is yet again extremely cute.

"I can't believe it. Abusing this angelic child to the point of leaving a bruise like that on your behind! That mother is totally the devil! Not just the devil, she's the great Maou, Satan!"

Of course, Mondemile does not know the Shibuya family's secret. She also doesn't know that the mother is a completely normal human, the son is the future Maou candidate, and Asian babies are born with bruise-like birthmarks called Mongolian blue spots.

On the other hand, at the front counter she left behind, the mother whose son was taken away was in a fit of rage.

The three security guards that were called were all armed, but a Japanese person didn't really understand the fear of guns. Furthermore, it was a crowded waiting room and their opponent was an unarmed, agitated woman. Even though security had come rushing over, they weren't about to fire their guns despite being threatened.

The dispute was on the edge of becoming physical.

"Calm down, lady. If you're not guilty, then you just have to wait two or three days."

"Let go of me, you potbelly!"

"Once the suspicion is cleared, you'll get your child back immediately."

"Shut up, you super unnatural hair part man!"

"Come on, lady, the court- gah!"

"I said get off, you with the full dentures even though you're young!"

Each of the names she called them was incredibly specific.

Mrs. Shibuya grabbed a metal pole nearby and stood as if to attack her enemy. The old man who was in the middle of getting an IV drip fell over backwards.

The security guard with the unnatural hair part yelled out. "Watch out! This woman has a black belt in kendo!"

"Unfortunately, there~ is~ no~ black belt in kendo! Alright, if you don't want to get hit with the TRIPLE JENIFFER ATTACK, move out of the way! I'm not handing Yuu-chan over to you!"

After hitting the scared security guards, Mrs. Shibuya chased after Mondemile. Mondemile went towards the side entrance for sure, but even after coming all the way to the toilets, she couldn't see the social worker. There was only a young man with stubble, even though he was a SKINHEAD, squatting down and muttering to himself.

"Damn it! That woman runs away fast."

Spitting out words that are 80% those of a villain's, she looked around at her surroundings.

"Yuu-chan... where did you go...?"

Even looking through the glass doors into the parking lot, she couldn't see the woman holding the baby.

Mrs. Shibuya balled up her fists and screamed, hoping her voice would reach her son.

"Yuu-chan, where did you go... Yuu-chan, where did you go! ... Yuu-kyan dyou~!"

"That's right, YOU CAN DO IT."

For some reason, the young man with the empty eyes was nodding vigorously.

---

After asking for a table on the north side, the young man took the seat next to the window.

The only things he can see are the parking lot of the depressing hospital and a convenience store with very few customers.

A disgruntled waitress whose eyes were only half open came to take his order without even bringing him water. She's chewing mint gum. After he ordered, she brought his coffee immediately and left again without saying anything.

Was I that unfriendly?

Imagining himself as a waiter, Lord Weller Conrart smiled wryly. The red-checkered table cloth seems to have reminded him of an apron at a place near the country's border.

However, this is Boston in the middle of winter. It is completely different than the warm and dry El Sahuayo. Snow instead of sand covered the asphalt and people are walking around with the collars of their coats pulled up high.

Perhaps because it was a weekday afternoon, the inside of the diner was comparatively quiet. There were no businessmen silently shoveling food into their mouths and no groups of mothers who came out to pick up their children.

Steam rose from the coffee in this place that wasn't heated well - possibly to preserve energy. Conrad tossed the newspaper he was holding onto the table and wrapped his hands around the white cup. He warmed his fingers for a little while.

In this country, even the drinks are black.

In the time right after he arrived in this world, he was shocked even by things like that. However, as time passed he got used to Earth's customs and stopped being surprised by little things.

Same with coffee. The first time he drank it he was dumbfounded by how bitter it was, but now that he's lived in America for close to a year and a half, if he doesn't have caffeine he can't calm down.

I wonder if the raw materials are something that can somehow be brought back to Shin Makoku? But, my homeland is far from having an everlasting summer, so the possibility of being able to have a harvest are terribly low.

After thinking that far, Conrad wanted to laugh at himself.

Before coming here he had despaired at everything and didn't care at all about what was to come. There was no worth in living, no reason to breathe.

Despite that, what about now?

He had carried out his mission without incident and was thinking about returning to his country. Not only that, but he was even imagining life after retiring from the military, albeit vaguely.

The societies of Shin Makoku and Earth were far too different. If one was made to stay here until adulthood, the confusion and shock upon coming to the kingdom would be significant. That was something he understood in a not insignificant way from his own experience.

For that reason, I have to return alive and put everything into order. The country, the castle, even the servants - I have to change them even if only a little. So that one day I can meet that person, I'll spend time on it, slowly.

Lord Weller was looking at the tossed newspaper, but he wasn't reading the words.

"... But in reality, I...."

”Conrad!" When he turned toward the entrance after having his name called, he saw an acquaintance he hadn't seen in a while waving his thin arms around energetically. "How've you been?"

A slow manner of speaking, glasses, and laugh lines.

He had tied his too-long black hair - as long as an index finger - loosely behind his head, but that didn't seem to be working very well because there were locks of straggling hairs draped over his forehead and cheeks.

A 'colleague' he had met near the border, the pediatrician Jose Rodriguez. There were three people behind him. Maybe he brought friends.

"Long time no see~... What's up, grinning like that? Is there something that funny in the tabloid? What's this? Scoop! Elvis Presley was alive! ... Conrad, you shouldn't believe that. It's been over ten years since he died, after all. Ah, ever since news stories like this came out there have been young guys playing the guitar outside, huh?"

The man who was so skinny it was almost abnormal walked over in a good mood and pulled out the chair across from Conrad. Today he wasn't in his usual white robe but in a grey outfit that looked like a uniform.

His companions silently grabbed chairs from elsewhere and sat in a row next to Rodriguez.

It was a unique seating arrangement of four against one.

"... Are they your friends?"

"That's right. Everyone, introduce yourselves! This man is the Mr. Conrad Weller I was talking about just now."

The three men raise their right arms in unison and their deep voices match up perfectly.

"Hi, Conrad."

"... Good afternoon. You guys seem to get along well."

"That's right. Even though we're all Federation army, since our voices match up so well, we get called the Black Tri-stars. Honestly, it's very upsetting."

Reacting to the word 'army,' Conrad carefully studied the outfits the line of acquaintances was wearing. Rodriguez was wearing a grey and black one that made him look all that much skinnier. The other three were all in uniforms that had similar designs even though the colors were slightly different.

The large man who was wider than he was tall was wearing red while the other two were in blue. Only the tall man with brown stubble was holding a ball painted green for some reason.

"... Did you all enlist somewhere? And you're holding a basketball."

"It's Haro."

"Eh? It's not a basketball..."

"It's Haro."

Rodriguez waved his hand up and down and laughed so hard that his eyes narrowed until they almost disappeared.

"No way, Conrad. It's not like we became soldiers. Everyone came to Boston because the Pan-American Gundam Conference starts tomorrow."

"The Pan-American... Gundam... Conference?"

Even putting to use the information he gained from the NASA-brand teaching materials, he had no idea what an event called the Pan-American Gundam Conference was. There might be conferences on guns and dams, but studying both things at once...

"So you're going to attend wearing that Federation's uniform even though you haven't enlisted?"

"Yeah. Well, as far as design is concerned, the Zeon army's one is more popular, but the Trojan Horse is better than Char, right? It's gotta be the first Gundam, right?"

The men nodded deeply. There were still many things Conrad did not know about Earth.

"It'll be a good learning experience, you know? They debate about what should be done if a colony falls, they measure the Newtype level of all the attendees, and so on. This time around, we'll be making a presentation about new weapons... here we go. Look at this, a BEAM CHAINSAW."

Rodriguez pulled out an object that looked like a completely normal chainsaw and waved it around proudly. In Conrad's brain SEARCH, he had a HIT with a person named Jason.

"... I don't approve of you bringing such a thing into a diner."

"It's alright. It's not finished, after all. The beam output is still limited. By the way, Conrad." As he was about to change the subject, the three men lined up by his side stood up at once. It seems like they were being considerate in their own way.

"Captain, we're going to the convenience store across the way."

"Eh? Ah, right. You have to buy a razor to shave Fraw's legs. Get food for tomorrow and anything we might need, okay? You have a walkie-talkie?"

The large man with bare legs even though they were full of hair nodded. He seems to be Mr. Fraw.

At any rate, what is Rodriguez captain of and why does he need a walkie-talkie? Conrad is about to lose faith in his judgment abilities. Is the weak pediatrician appearance just a disguise and he's actually a commissioned officer of the United States of America's 'Federation Army'?

"Ah, now that I think about it, calling each other by the character names is bad, isn't it? There's going to be a lot of people in the same costumes at the venue."

... Costume?

So that's it. In other words, these guys were like Josak and their hobby was unique costumes. While watching the three men leave the diner, Lord Weller Conrart felt relieved. It was a huge problem for him as a military man if he lost the ability to sense the aura surrounding a career soldier.

Rodriguez happily gripped his fork while gazing at the four types of pies that were brought over. First, he pulls out an apple covered in custard cream from the large apple pie in front of him.

"I got here early so I went to the hotel, but they told me you weren't there. They said the room Bob prepared was vacant. Where are you staying now? It was a nice room on the top floor. Was there something about it you didn't like?"

"It was too extravagant for me to relax."

"There you go again! You might be dressed up like a biker right now, but weren't you a prince back in your country? You lived in a room like in a European castle, right? With curtains on your bed."

"That's not so. In my military life I didn't get my own room until I became an officer and on my occasional days off my younger brother, in his mischievous age, took up my entire room." Drinking the rest of his lukewarm coffee, Conrad turned his gaze out the window. "Also, that hotel is quite far from the Shibuya family."

"Ah, that's right! Your place was still in Boston! My Ken-chan has already gone back to Japan. So? Is Mr. Julius Caesar doing well?"

The pediatrician moved on to the second plate. Conrad gave a wry smile at his momentum.

"It's Yuuri."

"That's right. How long is Yuuri-chan going to be in America?"

"I don't know. It looks like I'll be leaving Earth first."

"I see." Rodriguez tucked his bangs back into place with his thin fingers while still holding the fork. The laugh lines around the corners of his eyes disappear and he suddenly takes on a quiet expression. "Even though we didn't actually give birth to them, thinking that those kids won't remember anything feels a little lonely."

As he nodded, Conrad gazed at the back entrance to the public hospital and the grey-tiled wall.

"In your case, it's planned for him to become a king and go to that country-... What's wrong?"

Kicking the chair away violently, Conrad half stood up.

He had caught a glance of the child he had spent four months watching over moving on the other side of the window. Yuuri, having appeared from the side entrance leading into the parking lot, was wearing the same light pink clothing he had on when he arrived. However, what the happy baby was holding onto was not Mrs. Shibuya's chest.

"Who is that...?"

Seeing the woman hunched over and running as if to hide, Lord Weller dashed out of the diner.

---

Monet Mondemile held the innocently happy baby and hid in the shadow of the closest car.

She could see the woman relentlessly looking for her on the other side of the side entrance.

"Whoa, Japanese people don't give up. If I'm not careful, she'll steal this child away. It's okay, Yuuri. Your big sister is definitely going to protect you. I won't let those bad things happen to you anymore. Ow ow ow, please stop pulling my hair. And also, grabbing a woman's breasts is bad. If you're not using the back of your hand, you'll be charged for molestation."

All things considered, this baby had no fear of strangers. Even though he had been suddenly separated from his mother, there was no sign at all of him being unsettled.

Nevertheless, it was December. It wasn't good weather for a four-month old. If she kept him in the cold wind for too long, she would be the one who ended up with an abuse lawsuit.

Mondemile's car was much farther in. If she was spotted as she ran there and that demon mother chased after her, it would be a problem. After all, she was a person from Japan, the country of martial arts. The women were all geisha or kunoichi, and the men were all samurai and Baka Tono. She can't even imagine what kind of techniques the woman has.

"I don't have a choice. I'll have to use the kirigakure no jutsu."

Whispering the name of a jutsu that modern ninja hardly ever use, Mondemile backed away while keeping her stance low. She skillfully opened the door to the small convenience store next to the parking lot with her butt.

"Let's wait out that woman in this store for a while. It's okay, she'll give up soon."

There was a worker in a vertical-striped shirt behind the register. Besides him, there were three men who appeared to be customers. She didn't know what security company they worked for, but their uniforms were considerably non-intimidating. Despite being a trio of crass men, they were comparing several brands of ladies' razors.

"No no, don't make eye contact, Yuuri."

She moved into the back so the mother wouldn't find them.

The mother passed by the window screaming 'YOU CAN, YOU CAN!' It was then that it happened.

"That's right! Even I can do it, you know!?"

With a strange voice that seemed to come from the top of his head, a young man kicked the doors open and rushed in. After sliding forward on the mat about twenty centimeters, he pointed a shotgun around the inside of the store with both hands.

"Everyone! From this moment on, this convenience store is mine! If you don't listen to what I say, I'll blow a hole in your intestines with this!"

She unconsciously pressed down on her intestines.

The man had on a worn leather jacket, boots of the same color, and a sweater with a traditional pattern. She can guess from his voice that he's in his twenties, but with the exception of his SKINHEAD and stubble, she can't see most of his face.

It was because he was wearing a perfect mask.

His real face is completely hidden, but both of his eyes are like thin lines and his lips and nose are stretched into an atrocious sight. Just looking at him makes it hard to breathe and Mondemile timidly offers a suggestion.

"Um, I don't think it's a good idea to wear a ladies' stocking as a mask."

"Shutta hell up! Theren't any president masks in the neighborhood toy shop!"

It's even started to impede his ability to threaten them.

The part-time worker that looked like a student started to flip through a thick manual.

"Is this that convenience store robbery people talk about?! Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, I'll find the page... Umm, 'If a robber comes to your store'... page 100... 'when they are unarmed,' 'when they are armed with a gun,' 'when they're in a good mood,'... Wow, there are twenty pages on this. No, there's no way I'll be able to read such a vast amount of information!"

"What the hell! You're like that even as a college student. Damn it, what's going to happen to the future of Boston!?"

Grieving in a way unlike a convenience store robber, the man pointed the shotgun at the ceiling. The shot that fired with a thunderous noise shattered the light and glass shards rained down around the store.

Screaming himself, the man desperately made an excuse.

"Wait, just now, that was an accident just now! Believe me, I wasn't trying to shoot any of you!"

The college student who couldn't read the emergency manual made a complaint ignoring his own shortcomings.

"Did you read the shotgun manual properly!? Even kids can handle a gun nowadays..."

"Ahh~!"

The baby who opened his black eyes wide started crying while swinging his balled fists up and down. Maybe because he was startled by the loud noise, but his good mood up until now was hard to believe. In a panic, Mondemile grabbed a toy on display and waved it in front of Yuuri.

"Hey Yuuri, it's a ducky~. Its yellow butt goes quack-quack~. It's cute right?"

---

With powerful sirens reverberating through the air, several police cars rushed in. A passerby who heard the gunshot and Mrs. Shibuya, who was in a panic, reported the incident at about the same time.

A man with a grey trench coat and a black cap steps out of the first patrol car that drove into the parking lot. With an unlit cigar in his mouth, his appearance was a little off.

"Alright! Everyone get in position! The leaders of Red Team, White Team, Pink Team, and Snow Team, report as soon as you're set up!"

"Inspector, it's RED TEAM not Red Team. Also, white and snow are the same colors."

"Oh yeah, that's right."

The trench coat man who was called an inspector nodded at the words of the overly-serious police officer in uniform. His sideburns that look like he attached bonbons or something to his face quiver along with his cheeks. When he looked around at the crowd that was beginning to gather, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Mhmm, there are four Santa Clauses in the bystanders."

"That's a big haul, isn't it Inspector?"

The calm, uniformed officer began to explain the situation inside.

"Constable, that person is a family member of a hostage?"

"That's right. Their infant that was kidnapped by a social worker is inside."

"Kidnapped by a social worker?"

Mrs. Shibuya was holding hands with her husband who had rushed to her side and she was pale with fear, tension, and something else.

"A woman with a name like 'Feel her up first!' made a false accusation and stole our child! I chased after her desperately, though! And then I heard Yuu-chan crying- hey you know, that child has a particular cry. It's not 'wah wah' it's 'whoa whoa'! And then I caught a glimpse of the top of his head in the back of that convenience store. It's a black and snuggly top of the head!"

The inspector puffed up with baseless pride, the cigar still in his mouth.

"Please don't worry, ma'am. Everything is alright now that we're here. We've brought in an old mother we use for talking down criminals and a team specializing in burglaries just in case."

When she turned around, she saw an old woman gnawing on her handkerchief in anxiety and a group of bad-looking, bearded men giving a short wave. The men have dangerous eyes that make it seem like burglary is their occupation rather than their specialization.

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Inspector Diaz. Also, the name of the dastardly criminal we're about to face off with is... Who was it, Constable?"

"One moment."

The uniformed officer brought a megaphone to his mouth and asked in an unparalleled calm voice, "Attention Criminal: Listen up. You are completely surrounded. First tell us your name."

From the other side of the small convenience store's door, a shrill voice answered in agitation.

"I'm someone who has a bookstore downtown!"

"Well, what do you know. It's Jonathan Tailor."

"A friend of yours, Constable?"

"No, if we're talking about bookstores in that area, there's only Tailor."

The area erupted in noise with murmurs of 'Tailor even though it's a bookstore?' It was the same weird feeling as a bakery named Barber.

The police inspector with sideburns the size of squirrel cheek pockets stuck to his face speaks through the megaphone.

"1, 2, 3, test. Is this thing on? Can you hear me Mr. Jona~!? I AM INSPECTOR DIAZ! Whoa!"

The speaker let out a severe noise. In his shock, the cheek pouch-... sideburns bulge.

"Inspector, you're too loud."

"Oh, I see. Mr. Jona, do not harm the hostages! At least don't do anything rash! By the way, your mother is here now!"

"Mama died five years ago!"

The old woman holding the handkerchief frowned bitterly. The inspector gave a small cough.

"... Um... good job. You can collect your fee from accounting and go home."

It was a minor ploy on the police's part. Inspector Diaz puts on a show of patient persuasion while still gripping the megaphone.

"Let's talk, Mr. Jona. Shall we continue negotiations? Listen. Things like burglary aren't something you succeed at. In the end, crime isn't worth it!"

"I'm not a burglar!"

Now the team specializing in convenience store burglary went home.

"So that means he's barricaded himself in. Hey Constable, get a team here specializing in barricading as soon as possible. Did we bring a professional negotiator that can talk to criminals?"

"He just arrived right now. He's standing by with MY GOLDEN MIC."

A man holding a golden microphone gave a small nod and stepped forward. His pinkie finger is sticking out.

"Hey, Mr. Jona. I'm the negotiator, William. I came to talk with you. I'll say this first, but I want to help you. Let's find a way to resolve things. In order to do that, we have to get to know and understand each other. I'll talk about myself so afterwards, you tell me about yourself. Now then, listen to this first song, 'I was born in Wisconsin.' The songwriting, singing, arrangement, and chorus is by me. Me with the five faces."

Before he started his GOLDEN MIC RECITAL, the unqualified negotiator was put back in the car. Mrs. Shibuya turned pale at the excessive lack of competent people.

"Ah, what do we do, Uma-chan!? We can't rely on the police! We have to save our son ourselves somehow!"

The backbone of the family and father of two sons, Shibuya Shouma - despite having a pathetic, slightly droopy-eyed face - balled his fists and resolved himself.

"If he has hostages and has barricaded himself in, is it a ransom!? The criminal is after a ransom, right? How much do you want? Say how much you want! O-o-okay, just hold on, Yuu-chan! Now that it's come to this, Papa will get some money even if I have to sell my body!"

He vigorously lifts up the thick sweater he was wearing all the way to his chest.

"Eh!? Uma-chan, are you serious? Are you serious, are you serious?!"

"Look at this easy to operate on abdomen! Japanese organs can sell at unexpectedly high prices!"

"U-Uma-chan, that's undoubtedly a crime!"

"Particularly because these last four months have been a lactation period, I haven't drunk a single drop of alcohol. My liver is shiny and tender!"

Faced with the appeal her husband was making in public, the wife hurriedly added on, "Wait, wait! I'm the one who's breastfeeding! In no way is my husband breastfeeding, okay!?"

"Ma'am, it's in poor taste to yell 'breastfeeding' over and over..." the overly serious officer in uniform chided. Just like that, the brunt of the criticism was directed towards the police.

"What? This is all because the police didn't take care of things quickly! If you have time to criticize citizens, rescue Yuu-chan as soon as possible!"

"But, we're part of an organization. We can't act unless we get orders from above."

"Honestly! You're going on about orders, orders, orders even in a place like this? You're saying that you can't do a single thing without orders or permission from above, right? This is why the boss says the Stars and Stripes are in trouble."

The nostrils of the mother whose son was stolen are gradually getting larger.

"Alright, if you're saying you're not going to do anything, then I'll save Yuu-chan. I look like this now, but before I got married, I was called Hamano Rambo and I shook up my hometown P! I'll break in even if it's by myself and turn the inside of that store into hell! 'Hamano Rambo: Hell's 7-11.' Oh, that's kinda good. It's like the title of a matinee movie."

"Hold on, hold on, honey. You can't turn it into hell, you can't."

"Okay, someone lend me a machine gun! There's no way I can't do something that Yakushimaru Hiroko can!"

"Wow, my wife is losing her mind!"

The husband and the police let out a heartbreaking cry and hide all the nearby weapons. If she awakened a bizarre ecstasy in a place like this, their bodies couldn't take it.

---

While watching over the goings on with the couple and the police, Lord Weller and Rodriguez were listening carefully to the voice coming from the walkie-talkie.

"How is it inside, Fraw? How many hostages are there and what is their condition?"

Fraw was the giant in the red uniform. Even though he himself wasn't making that serious of a face, Rodriguez's three friends were trapped inside the store.

"Besides us three, there is a baby and a woman that looks like its mother, and then there is a single part-time employee. The baby was wailing up until a little while ago, but it might have gotten tired of crying because now its holding a ducky and has its face buried in the woman's chest."

"Your Majesty, poor thing..." Conrad whispered unconsciously.

"We're completely jealous. We'd like to ask for permission from you, Captain, to conduct a Haro Attack."

Rodriguez lightly furrowed his brows and spoke to the walkie-talkie's receiver.

"Haro Attack? You probably shouldn't do that. The basketball will REBOUND and you don't know where it will bounce to. Don't do anything careless so you don't provoke the criminal for no reason. By the way, what's Jonathan Tailor, the criminal, like?"

"He's a white skinhead with stubble in his twenties. He has a gun, but he hasn't fired it yet. There's a realistic tattoo of Cookie Monster on the back of his right hand... and-... spee-... we are... aliens...."

"Ah, shit! The Minovsky Particle is going crazy. Corporal? Corporal!?"

With hope, he tried smacking the communication device that is now only emitting static a few times. There was no change.

Peering at the store from the shadow of a car, Conrad let out a worried sigh.

"A tattoo on the back of the hand... He might be a member of a special society. They said he had a gun too, right? This is dangerous. We have to save Yuuri as soon as possible."

"Can't really count on the police, huh?"

"Anyway, is there a way we can get inside?"

Rodriguez recalls news footage of a criminal barricaded in somewhere.

"How about suggesting an exchange of hostages or sending in food supplies?"

"Convenience stores sell food so I think there's an appropriate amount of food inside... In any case, isn't that kind of tactic the job of policewomen in civilian clothing?"

"Ah, that's right... Oh! Then what about dressing up like a woman and sneaking in? I just so happen to have one costume of a female character! Check it out!"

Rodriguez pulls a red uniform and a blonde wig out of his large luggage and spreads them out. His expression has turned ecstatic somewhat.

"It's Sayla!"

"... Ugh." Strangely Conrad, who seldom panicked, drew back from the white leggings. "... I'll pass. Let's just sneak in through the back door like normal people."

Even while looking disappointed, the pediatrician once again pulled out a dangerous machine from his luggage.

"In times like these we have this: New Weapon - BEAM CHAINSAW. Although it still can't fire out a beam."

"In other words, it's a normal electric saw, right?"

"Not at all. It can cut any tree no matter how thick and you don't need any strength to pull it back and forth."

"That's probably what people would call a normal electric saw."

The two of them quietly snuck around to the back of the store in a way that the police squad wouldn't notice. In the back where empty cans and trash bins were scattered around, there was a brown door that appeared to be to an office. They pulled the cord on the chainsaw, switched it on, and then came to a realization.

"... It looks like a steel door."

It can't be cut like this.

"Hmm, I guess we can't do this like Jason, huh?"

Ugh, who cares if we get noticed?

Losing his patience, Conrad gathered all his strength and kicked the brown door.

I falls down spectacularly, hinges and all.

"Alright, it opened."

"You're unexpectedly violent, aren't you?"

Looking around the office, Conrad put on a vertically striped shirt. It seems to be this store's uniform.

"You go outside and if the police squad tries recklessly storming in, stop them."

"How!?"

"You have your new weapon, don't you?"

It can't cut through steel, but it'll be a breeze cutting through human.

When Lord Weller boldly entered the store area wearing the employee uniform, Jonathan Tailor was shocked and yelled, gun in hand.

"Hey Jonathan."

"What's up with you!? Walking in here with that cool look on your face! I took this store over!"

With that brief response, he understood the man's approximate fighting power and skill. Taking into consideration that he appears to not have courage and his carelessness in standing in front of the window, his opponent is obviously an amateur.

Conrad is also an amateur when it comes to guns, but it's hard to believe that his enemy is used to handling them. All of his pockets are flat. There are no spare bullets in them.

While wondering if he should raise his hands, Conrad moved forward across the grey floor.

"I came from the main office. I'm sorry, but it's time for the staff's shift to change. That part-timer is only on until three."

The part-timer speaks up in a relieved voice. "You saved me! I have a lecture in the afternoon! Is it okay if I leave the key to the register behind the coffee maker? Ah, the self-defense gun is under the counter."

"You have a gun!?"

He reflexively pointed the shotgun at Conrad. The five adult hostages all drew in a breath, but the person who became a target has a calm expression.

"Oh, you don't have to worry. I'm for gun control. I have a fearless policy of never shooting or holding one."

"For a young guy nowadays, that's quite a commendable way of thinking."

"From my perspective, you look quite young yourself."

Of course, Jonathan Tailor doesn't know Conrad's real age. Even if he looks like a teenager, on Earth he's a relic from the past.

"More importantly, why don't you let the child and young lady go? Especially because that child is still a four-month old baby. It's not good to have him in this sort of environment for hours on end. No matter what the reasons behind an incident, as a person you should treat the weak with kindness."

Lord Weller's eyes focused on the shelves in the back and glanced at Rodriguez's companions.

"Even though it's just for show, those men are soldiers in the Federation so I'd think they've prepared themselves to be faced with danger."

"No~! White Base is mostly civilian." Fraw makes a dejected face.

Jonathan Tailor frowns after being attacked in a weak spot. Then again, no matter what face he makes it looks the same through the ladies' stocking.

"I'll let them go as soon as my demands are met."

"Then hurry up and make your demands."

"But the police haven't been saying anything!"

"Eh?"

The strength drained out of his arms. Conrad's voice takes on an utterly exasperated tone that even he has never heard.

"Then you can just speak from your end! For a criminal that busted in with a gun, it's strange to be bashful like that."

"Shut up! I've been told since I was a kid that humility is a virtue!"

Jonathan fired a shot at the ceiling. The lights break again and glass shards come raining down. Maybe it was because this time they were shot on purpose to make a threat, but now the light bulbs are completely annihilated.

"Watch out!" Lord Weller reflexively dove between the shelves and shielded the woman. "... Are you hurt?"

"N-no, I'm fine."

Even though he was younger, Monet Mondemile's heart sped up at having a handsome young man worry about her.

However, that soon changed to disappointment. His gaze was quite clearly not pointed at her but at the baby in her arms.

"... Yuuri is fine, too."

"That's good. When I think about him getting injured..."

She was foolish for turning into Lovestruck!Mondemile for even a moment.

"Who are you? You know this child, don't you? Are you here to steal him because his mother asked you to?"

Holding the small, warm body in her arms, Mondemile turns her back to Conrad. After being shown an openly hostile attitude, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"I haven't been asked. His Majesty... He and I haven't met yet. If you ask who I am... I might be something like a guard."

"So you're not a BODYGUARD but a BABYSITTER. Sending an employee to get their child, what cold-hearted parents."

"That's not true." Conrad sat next to the two of them and poked Yuuri's cheek who was sleeping happily. His complexion was bright even though the circumstances weren't the best. He was clutching a yellow ducky in his right hand and pressing it to his stomach. "His mother can't come because she is being stopped by the police. If that weren't the case, she'd come marching in here alone with a machine gun or even a bazooka. Of course, even if she didn't have a single weapon she would come to save Yuuri with just her love and bravery... Contrary to the upper-class air about her, she's a surprisingly passionate mother inside. No matter what reason, she would never mistreat her son."

Yuuri laughed. Maybe he was happy that his mother was praised. There's no way he can understand words and he's sleeping so he can't hear. However, his smile was so innocent and pure that Conrad couldn't help but smile himself.

Nothing sad has happened yet in this person's life.

Conrad whispered, "I want to see your eyes... Oh, no that's fine. Stay as you are. Please sleep for now."

Please, stay like that forever.

Before he started to look suspicious, he pulled his hand away and once again made a declaration.

"His mother is not someone who would mistreat him."

"They're all like that. In most cases, parents who abuse their children all seem to be kind and virtuous people. I learned that at the academy and I've investigated several cases! Look, look at this painful bruise."

Mondemile gently turned over the sleeping infant and pulled down his coveralls all the way to his butt.

"Whoops."

He had accidentally seen the butt of the future king. Like Mondemile said, there was a blue-black mark around the size of a fist.

The social worker passionate about her work was moved to tears.

"... It's horrible, the poor thing."

"Hmm, I hadn't seen his rear yet."

"What cruel mistreatment of such a young child. I can't imagine how much it hurt. Ah, but it's a good thing I saved you on my first job. I'm happy you were saved, Yuuri!"

"Are you new?"

"That's right. At the very least, it's the first time I've gone on the job by myself. But... I ended up involved in something like this..."

The special kind of arrogance that crops up in young people burning with conviction disappeared from her all at once. With Yuuri on her lap spread out like he was doing the breaststroke, Mondemile's shoulders fell as she sighed deeply.

"I ended up throwing a weak life that hasn't even lived half a year into this terrible stress! Under normal circumstances, he should be in a warm bed at Child Protective Services holding a standard-size baby bottle right now. There are two designs, bears and bunnies. Yuuri's a boy, so maybe he'd get bears. Of course, there would be fresh, appropriately warm formula inside and we even take into consideration children with allergies... I'm sorry, Yuuri." The amateur social worker's nose was stuffed. "... Even though I came to save your weak life."

Conrad cut her off.

"He is special."

As his gaze slowly fell to look at Yuuri, he once again carefully uses the word SPECIAL.

"He is special. He's not weak."

Mondemile was lost for words for a moment, but she shook her head right away and her tone roughened.

"No matter what you say, I'm not giving you Yuuri! It's a given that an infant is powerless against an adult whether they're strong or weak! And then hitting him so hard that it leaves a mark - that mother is a devil!"

"Hey, isn't that a 'moukohan?'"

"Eh!?"

She's unexpectedly called out to. Tailor was peering at them with the gun resting on his shoulder.

"It's not strange for Asian babies. It's not about whether they've been hit or not. In Chinatown near where I live, every single last one of the babies born there has that on their ass. I don't really care, but their asses are just out in the open."

"Ehhh!?"

"There's a saying that in the Orient there are kids with blue asses, but they really are blue, aren't they? So, hurry up and put his ass away. Ah, and also..." Pointing at the infant sleeping frog-style, the criminal who had barricaded himself in gave some advice. "Sleeping on his stomach isn't all that good. I read that in a child-rearing book not too long ago."

Her face paling to the color of a hospital sheet, Miss Mondemile pressed a trembling hand to her forehead.

"N-now that I think about it, I feel like there was a special notation on Asians called a Mongolian Spot... B-but to make such a basic mistake... and in the first place, the doctor would surely realize."

"Honestly, you guys. You should read at least one child-rearing book to the end. 'Baby Fujiyama's Love-Love Angel' is a super longtime bestseller."

"Ah, I read that."

"Eh!?"

Mondemile balked and looked at Conrad.

"I read that, too."

"I read it, too~!"

"I read it in its original language to study Japanese."

Even the trio in Federation uniforms tells her that. Only Mondemile and the part-timer who couldn't escape end up hanging their heads in shame.

Jonathan "Barricaded-in-Criminal" Tailor clicked his tongue.

"This is what I mean. Here we have someone in a profession where knowledge is the first priority requirement and a college student who is in the time of his life where he can read the best. I'm shocked. They're not even trying to read books. They can't even learn the contents of one manual."

In the middle of the parking lot on the other side of the glass, the police restarted misguided negotiations. The voice of Inspector Diaz, who had almost been forgotten, reached inside the store through the speaker.

"What kind of escape vehicle do you want~? One: Porsche. Two: Ferrari. Three: one of our Chryslers."

Without listening to that, Tailor sat down on the floor cradling his shotgun.

"... With things like this, my store is gonna go under. If students and kids don't read books, small bookstores will go under easy."

"Are you closing your shop?"

Conrad reaches out to fix the baby sleeping on its stomach. When he flips him over after putting his hands under his armpits, Yuuri lets out a noise like a cat, maybe because he was awakened from a dream.

He's cranky waking up.

"Like I said, cover his ass up."

"Ah, that's right. Shh, Your Majesty. It's okay. You'll be able to go home soon."

It would be trouble if he ended up struggling with Mondemile, so he decided against snatching Yuuri out of her lap. Even though it's a tad overboard, her love for children was significant. When she gains experience, she will most certainly be an excellent case worker.

The police's one-sided negotiations continue and the choices for an escape vehicle increase.

"Forty-two: Jaguar. Forty-three: Mitsuoka."

Yuuri tried to turn over in the woman's lap. As if he was unhappy because her lap was uneven, he swings around the ducky he was holding.

"Nnn~"

"What, you want to be face-down? You're selfish aren't you, Your Majesty. Eh? You're giving it to me? Thank you. Then I'll bring it back to the castle and display it preciously."

When he took the yellow duck, the child cried out happily. Conrad couldn't understand the words peculiar to those who have not yet become adults with his NASA-brand learning materials.

"Manyufakuchua~!"

"... I feel as if I'm being presented with an incredibly complicated topic... But, even though I went to the trouble of learning English, at this rate it doesn't seem like I'll be able to speak with you."

Letting the baby grip his index finger, Lord Weller laughed self-derisively.

He would probably depart from Earth soon. It was a feeling full of painful reluctance, but he couldn't stand waiting until Yuuri became an adult.

He wanted to hold him close.

Even if his was a life that he was promised to meet again one day, he wanted to embrace him now, not then. However...

Conrad simply stayed quiet and pulled his finger out of the unexpectedly strong grip.

They should not meet in this country. They should meet in Shin Makoku as a proper master and servant. It would be bad if Conrad left behind a memory by an intimate act.

"Somehow you seem more used to caring for an infant than that woman does," Tailor said after pulling his tight mask off as he sat on the floor, leaning against a pillar. His true face, freed of the stocking, was that of a normal young man you could find anywhere. Although he's a skinhead. "Do you have a child? You're still a high school or university student."

"It was a fairly long time ago, but I cared for my younger brother a little."

"Younger brother, huh~?"

Tailor's gaze wandered around in the air and he dug in his chest pocket unconsciously. He didn't have cigarettes. The store had stock to sell, of course, but after hearing the happy voice of the baby with wide open eyes, he decided against smoking.

"I did the same with two younger brothers. I was forced to look after them all the time when I was a kid. We had the bookstore since my granddad's time, but my dad died really early. Even my mom who was working hard on her own all this time just up and died in an accident five years ago... it's a small, privately-owned store so she did her best for the locals, though. "

He looked at the fretful infant. There was no animosity in those eyes.

"... There ain't any kids who come to a bookstore downtown anymore. We don't have anything to do with the major, nation-wide chain stores that are opening up, after all. Because of that, we can't even stock back up. We've been in the red for years. All I can do now is close up shop."

Behind Tailor's back, the employee that had opened the manual started handing out coffee to everyone. Even though they all think something about this is wrong, they all gratefully accept their cups.

"Oh, thank you."

"No problem. It's on the house."

What page did he read?

"Elementary and middle school students come to this store all the time. So, it's not like there are less kids around."

"... That's right. All the kids are at the convenience stores or the parking lots. They buy food at the stores and then drugs in the parking lots and then they all get together in underground clubs. Nowadays, the smart kids are always buying drugs. Shockingly, they have guns in their pockets. They're not going out to do a robbery - they've got guns to go shopping? It was different in the past. In the past when Marvel's release date came up, all the kids would stop by on their way home from school. They weren't passing around paper in the parking lot, they were passing the time reading in the store and chatting with their friends. And what about now? They don't even read comics let alone books. So, we're going under. There's no need for bookstores."

"Is that why you barricaded yourself in?"

Conrad suddenly became uneasy upon catching a glance of Yuuri's lips trembling. I beg of you, please stay quiet for just a little longer. I'll get you back to your family right away.

"Is that why you took hostages and barricaded yourself in? You wanted money to rebuild your store? Or was it to demand a ransom and make a getaway to start your life over?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I wanted to let them know?"

"Know what?"

Tailor suddenly looked happy and lifted his styrofoam cup. In this position, it was impossible to quickly fire the shotgun. However, Conrad thought of something even more foolish. Were there really shells left in the gun? Had this man even intended to shoot from the beginning?

"The TV people will come, right? The news van. I wanted to let everyone know that my store will close using that! I wanted to complain on TV that children are changing so much that bookstores like mine are closing. I wanted to tell the principals and the teachers and the Board of Education members and the bigwigs in Boston that they're doing something wrong."

Tailor peeked outside through the blinds to check whether a news van had come. However, the inspector who had no interest other than the getaway car was just listing car makers.

"Sixty-five: Bond Car. Sixty-six: Batmobile or the Nautilus Car~!"

He's already reached the level of difficult to obtain.

While praying in his mind for Tailor to please not stand at the window too much, Conrad put some effort into maintaining a calm voice.

"For something like that, shouldn't you complain at the Board of Education instead of barricading yourself in a convenience store?"

"Of course I complained. All that happened was that I got sent a postcard saying that the Boston school libraries got five more of Hawthorne's books. Like kids will start reading just by doing that! That tedious literature is just library decoration - those bigwigs don't know that!"

Perhaps surprised by the roughness of his tone, Yuuri suddenly started crying. He swung his arms and feet around and was yelling baby talk with a bright red face. Mondemile tried to calm him down by rocking him on her lap, but the child showed no sign of stopping.

"Ah, sorry little lady. Hey, you two are a baby sitter and a CPS worker, right? Sing a lullaby or something."

Like it was trying to annoy people who don't like cars, the megaphone blares the inspector's voice.

"Eighty-one: Tomy. Eighty-two: Takara~. Eighty-two: Bandai!"

It's not a size that a human could ride in anymore, and he said eighty-two twice.

"Awhoahhh, awhoahhhh!"

Mondemile was at a complete loss with the impressive crying and she looked to the young man next to her for help.

"What do I do? Both of this child's parents are Japanese. Do you know a Japanese lullaby?"

"Me? No way. I'm not from this wor-... Uhh, there's no way I'd know Japanese nursery rhymes, right?"

"What, you don't even know lullabies!? It's a baby so it's okay if he doesn't understand the words! Alright, hand him over to me for a bit. The point is the melody, rhythm, and heartbeat..."

It happened immediately following Tailor tossing the shotgun on the floor and reaching out to hold Yuuri.

The pillar that he had been leaning against just a half a second earlier broke in half. Busting through the wall and window, a two-tone patrol car came crashing in.

"Whoa, what!?"

The roof started to collapse along with the roaring sound.

Mondemile screamed, covered her head, and twisted around to escape as far to the side as she could.

Merchandise slid off the shelves and fragments of construction material rained down from the ceiling. She bent over to protect the child on her lap, but she suddenly realized his weight was gone.

"Yuuri!?"

The baby with the black eyes and black hair slid across the floor littered with glass, canned food, and cereal boxes like he was on a little boat. Not a single obstacle stops his progress.

Eyes the color of darkness open in a daze and he's gripping both of his fists like he's petrified.

"Yuuri!"

Ahead of the small body sliding forward, there is a torn electric cable fallen on the ground. It's jumping around on the floor and sending out blue sparks. If he touches them, he'll be OUT in an instant. It was a small store to begin with, so he closed in on it in the blink of an eye.

"Yuu-!"

Mondemile reflexively closed her eyes.

"Yuuri!"

Throwing himself onto the floor and reaching out with both of his arms, Conrad scoops up the young body with just centimeters to spare. He then holds it in his arms and rolls towards where there's lots of rubble.

Just two seconds later, the concrete ceiling fell. A woman's screams and the sound of a metal box being crushed echoed around. The store is completely collapsing.

"... Your Majesty?" Conrad finally whispered when the debris falling on his back thinned out.

The fuzzy thing touching his chin moved slightly. When he raised his head almost too cautiously, his surroundings were filled with gray dust and were so obscured that he couldn't tell if it was day or night.

"Your Majesty... thank goodness. You're alright."

It looks like the baby he was holding to his chest hasn't recovered from the shock yet. His clenched fists are gripping the clothes of the adult in front of him and his small mouth is half open.

His big black eyes blink a few times and he coughs from deep in his throat.

"... Ahh~."

"It's alright."

Almost as if he was waiting for those words, Yuuri started crying with all his might.

"Ah, it's alright now so don't cry."

Feeling the corners of his eyes get hot with relief and happiness, Conrad held the child close. The life trembling in his arms was soft and so warm it could make him cry.

He was definitely here. In his arms. That perfect sphere that he had held up to the sky that day and sent up a prayer after searching for the sun hiding behind the clouds. It hadn't yet belonged to anyone at that time, but now it was definitely the soul of this person.

"... It's yours."

Conrad gently pressed his lips to his forehead.

"One day, everything in this world will become yours."

Until that day.

"Please be healthy... and in the years to come, please live your days in happiness."

As he whispered an eventual promise into those bright red ears, Lord Weller gently rocked the child's body. He sings a song he just heard on the street - quietly, only for him.

It's a song from this country so he's not entirely sure about the lyrics in places. He just understood that the melody that went along with the stringed instrument was conveying a person's heart.

The continuously crying voice turned hoarse, but Yuuri might have felt tired or safe because he ends up only shaking with sobs.

By the time Mondemile leans over the broken pillar and peeks inside at them, the baby was back in a good mood and was even cooing lightly like he just remembered something.

"Thank god... Yuuri's okay, right?"

"Yes, but you don't seem to be okay."

Her forehead had a huge cut. She was doing her best to staunch the flow of blood into her eyes with red-stained handkerchief.

"I'm okay, it's not that deep. More importantly, my mind is full wondering how I'm going to apologize to Yuuri's family... I did something outrageous... something I really can never make up for... What can I say to ask for forgiveness? I don't know if they'll forgive me by my giving up my job..."

"I think you can just apologize." Conrad covered Yuuri's eyes so as to not show him the blood. "If you apologize from your heart, I think your sincerity will get across. They're not the sort of people to excessively blame someone for a mistake. If they know that you acted in their child's best interests, they'll definitely understand. Here."

"What?"

"It's probably better if you hold him."

After most of the blood on her forehead was wiped away, he entrusted the small, strong, and warm infant to Mondemile's embrace. And then, as if it was difficult to leave, he wiped the tears from those black eyes and whispered in a different language.

"Please forget. Forget everything from today. You can't remember such a terrible thing. Please live healthily without injury until you grow up and return home to your country."

The young social worker wondered where this child was born because she had been hearing many words with sounds she had never heard before.

"Goodbye... Let's meet in Shin Makoku, my-... we citizens' longed for, double black Maou."

But in reality, he didn't care about his hair or eye color.

"You'll... definitely come, right?"

When Conrad placed his palm on wet cheeks, Yuuri grasped his little finger.

As if making an earnest promise.

---

Miss Mondemile controlled her shaky knees and left the rubble.

"Yuu-chan!?"

Mrs. Shibuya, who was trying to pry open the bent shutters, yelled out her beloved son's name and came running. The mother finally got her baby back whose breath was already starting to even out in sleep. When Mondemile saw her eyes were bloodshot from crying, her heart hurt immensely.

"Um, I, really... did something unforgivable..."

"Thank you! You protected him from the police, right?"

"That's right, the police... huh?"

Mondemile was baffled at being abruptly thanked in the face of her sins. According to the agitated Mr & Mrs. Shibuya's explanation, the police - ignoring the family's objections - acted to quickly break in and quickly resolve things forcefully. The couple hit, kicked, and reasoned with the inspector to stop him, but it seems like he shook them off, got into the patrol car, and over-enthusiastically crashed into the store.

When Mondemile looked around, the inspector with the bulging sideburns was pinned to the patrol car of which only the back end was sticking out. The serious-looking officer in uniform was handcuffing his hands behind his back.

"Inspector, you failed your spin turn, didn't you?"

"No, Constable, I mixed up the gas and brakes. Anyway, Constable, why am I bad at driving? Even though I like cars this much."

She listened in on their conversation for a little bit, but soon turned her attention back to her son.

"Ah, the American police really are horrifying! Thank you so much for protecting our son, Miss Mondemiru! You're Yuu-chan's savior!"

"No, that was your BABYSITTER..."

"BABYSITTER? We haven't hired a babysitter. More importantly, you, your forehead looks bad. Will you get in an ambulance? Walking would be much quicker, though."

And with that, the Japanese parents became enamored with their son who had gotten through his first big adventure outstandingly.

As Monet Mondemile pressed a handkerchief to the injury on her forehead, an EMT pushed a gurney along. When she peeked over as they passed by, she saw Jonathan Tailor laid between the silver PIPES. His arms and legs looked like they got crushed by the rubble. His right wrist - which was the only one not injured - was bound to the gurney with a pair of handcuffs. It's to be expected. Even though no one was injured, he's a criminal who barricaded himself into a store.

As he hoped for, news reporters from all the television stations gathered around as he was rolled towards the hospital's side entrance. However, the group wearing Federation uniforms was in the front row of that human fence. Fortunately, none of the three had sustained any injuries.

"Import Japanese manga!?" Tailor's confused voice reverberated.

"That's right, Mr. Jona. Is it okay if we call you Mr. Jona? Not just manga. Gather anime goods and videos."

"You'll definitely get a bookstore that kids gather in again. Your shop will become Boston's Akihabara!"

"I think some big friends will gather there, too!"

Jonathan Tailor sat up on the moving gurney and yelled at the group he had held as hostages. Of course, he didn't understand why the three of them were so happy. Surrounded and unable to move, Tailor was almost the same as a hostage.

"Hey you know, I got a long, long prison life ahead of me. Even if you give me that plan to rebuild, there's nothing I can do now... Hey, he~y, lady!"

When he spotted Mondemile, Tailor lifted his knees trying to get up as he was tied down to the rail.

"Was the kid alright?"

"Yes."

"That's great!"

He lies back down with an audible flop against the stiff, white fabric. The trio immediately crowded around and resumed persuading the bookstore owner.

"We're not saying that long, long prison life is starting now. You still have to go through trial, after all. You won't be found not guilty, but we had a worse thing done to us by the police. We'll all testify to that and we also want to help the little brothers you're leaving behind with managing the bookstore."

"You see? So let's get Japanimation goods."

"We'll even find a lender for a loan."

"Did someone say loan?" Despite the fact that he was pretty far away, the main provider of the Shibuya family, Shibuya Shouma, twitched his skilled nose. "Is someone looking for a loan~? I'll give you a consultation. Shibuya Shouma will give you a consultation."

While he followed after his wife who was holding their son, he searched around for the stray businessmen.

Mondemile pressed a hand to her forehead and gently felt the clump of dried blood. An older nurse came up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Okay, let's take care of your injuries, too. Everyone else has gone into the hospital already."

"... Where is he?"

"Who are you talking about? You're the last person injured."

Mondemile looked around the parking lot, searching for brown hair and a striped shirt.

"He's surely already gotten to a hospital room."

"No way, he didn't pass by here. Where is he!? The man who saved the baby!"

The onlookers had increased significantly, but she didn't find Conrad.

Instead, there were six Santa Clauses amongst the people circled around watching from afar.

"Have I met you somewhere before?"

After thinking for a moment, Conrad shook his head.

"No."

While remembering the conversation during the day, Yuuri stretched out in the stone bathroom. It was his first bath in two days and not only was it reserved, but it was a private bath and the bathtub was so vast that you could time swimming laps.

"Of course not. That's right. There's no way I'd have a foreigner acquaintance... Actually, this doesn't seem to be Earth. I wouldn't normally have anything to do with demons and mazoku."

As he whispered that he doesn't have anything to do with god either, Yuuri sunk into the water to just under his nose.

"Is someone in the bath? Ah, that song... It's Conrart, right?"

Water shoots up his nostrils at the woman's voice coming through the door.

"It's a song called 'Rabu Mii' or something, right? I like that song, too. But it's in foreign words so I don't know the lyrics... Oh?"

A woman appeared in the opposite entrance that Yuuri used with only a bath towel wrapped around her. It's a girl, no, a woman. The SEXY woman with blonde curls down to her waist pierced straight to his heart from only a meter away.

"U-u-u-u-um, N-n-n-no one told me this was a mixed bath!"

"Oh no, it's okay. This is a bath that's only for the Maou. I just came in because of my usual habit. And then since Your Majesty was singing the same song, I mistook you for my son. Please don't worry, Your Majesty, the. new. king. You are the new king, right?"

Yuuri's mouth opened and closed like a fish, making a face like pink steam was going to come out of the top of his head.

"You bathe with your son!?"

The SEXY QUEEN gives a meaningful smile and rubs the healthy boy's shoulders with her thin fingers.

"If you want, will Your Majesty wash with me as well? Ufufu, what an adorable person. That voice singing before was splendid as well. That's right, it was young, inexperienced, there was tension... it was sensual?"

"Th-th-th-th-that was just humming, but does that mean my nasal sounds are se-se-se-sen-sen-sen-!"

She watched Yuuri becoming a broken phonograph and laughed.

"Ehe... how cu~te!"

At that moment, Yuuri wrapped a towel around his bare hips and ran away leaving behind a shout that couldn't really be called a cry or a shriek. He scrambled, kicked down the door, and escaped. Cäcilie scooped up the yellow duck and whispered.

"I think we'll meet many times. My precious, adorable people."

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