79: The True Queen, The Arms Dealer, and The Tomb Raider

Having a boss with such a wild imagination was quite a headache for Tachibana and the other nurses—crazy ideas popped up on the daily.

"Where did I say anything wrong? You're all problematic women."

"Only Akira can keep you all in check."

"If some of you were let loose on the world, it'd be a disaster for normal people~"

"Sayaka-nee, is there a second-in-command for our villainous group?"

"Lacus? No way, she's too pure and saintly."

"She doesn't have the vibe of a villainous executive at all."

"Laura fits the role much better."

"After all, her nickname is the Tomb Destroyer."

"Might as well just call her Tomb Raider."

"Aaaagh! Why does Laura get such a cool nickname, while I'm stuck with 'Mad Genius Doctor'?!"

"Akira, hurry up and give me a better one!"

"I'm fresh out of inspiration, can't think of anything for now."

Akira flatly refused.

"Then number three has to be Koko-nee."

"Wait, no, Koko is even crazier than me."

"She's way too evil."

"She should be ranked number one."

"I'll take second, and Laura third."

"Let me think of a fitting name for Koko…"

"Got it! How about 'Arms Dealer Demon'?"

"Might as well just call her the Arms Queen."

Akira blurted out his honest thoughts again.

"Aaaagh! Akira, you did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

"Ryoko, listen up. Koko is just like you—a total Dom Queen."

"Akira has definitely been trained into an M by now."

Everyone: ...…

Yakushiji Ryoko gave a not-so-friendly smile. "Akira, you sure have a lot of older sisters around you."

Akira suddenly realized he had become the center of attention, with everyone staring at him with all kinds of indescribable expressions.

Yep. This time, it was his turn to die of embarrassment.

"Sayaka-nee, shut up already!"

"You guys aren't seriously believing a word that comes out of this lunatic's mouth, right?"

"Sayaka-nee is just talking nonsense like always."

"Oh, please. If it weren't for you smoothing things over, Lacus would've arrested Koko for disturbing world peace ages ago."

"Koko-nee and Lacus-nee just have different ideologies, but their goals are the same."

"You don't get it, Sayaka-nee."

"So, are you siding with Lacus or Koko?"

"Of course, I support Lacus-nee."

"Hahahaha! You're done for."

"I recorded that just now."

"I'll send it to Koko next time."

Akira: ...…

Sayaka-nee, you're an absolute menace!

"Sayaka-nee, who exactly is Lacus?"

"Obviously, Akira's true queen."

Sayaka's lips curled into a smug smile, as if this was an undeniable fact.

Hearing those words, the whole room stirred.

"You guys are still too young—compared to Lacus, you're nowhere near her level."

"I guarantee that when you meet Lacus in the future, you'll feel utterly inferior."

"Don't listen to Sayaka-nee's nonsense."

"Lacus really just sees me as a little brother."

Akira's eye twitched as he desperately tried to explain.

This jealous bunch—just hearing the word 'queen' was enough to set them off.

"Everyone is born with their own purpose."

"Lacus-nee and Koko-nee only became who they are because of their upbringing."

"There's no need for you to compare yourselves to them."

"For example, Koko-nee has no nationality."

"She doesn't belong to any country in the world."

"She was born in international waters, raised on a cargo ship."

"I don't need to explain how bad medical conditions on a ship like that were."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. That was the old Koko, always being hunted by other arms dealers."

"Now that Koko and Lacus have formed an alliance, their combined power is absolutely 1+1>2."

"Which is why Akira has become the only light in Koko's heart."

"Akira is essentially the bridge connecting the two of them."

"A bridge that ties them together into an unbreakable knot."

"Exactly. Even without you, Koko and Lacus would've become great friends by now."

"Akira, you've already linked way too many people together. And you tied them all into dead knots."

"Damn, I thought I was keeping it under wraps, but you guys figured it out."

"Since that's the case, I won't hide it anymore."

"That's right—I am Tiga."

Akira suddenly shoved little Nagisa into Sayaka-nee's arms and struck Tiga's signature pose.

Left hand clenched into a fist, right palm extended outward.

Everyone: ...…

"So cringe!"

"I just curled my toes so hard they nearly drilled through the floor."

"Akira, you idiot! Don't you feel embarrassed?!"

"Clearly, Akira really loves Ultraman Tiga."

"Not embarrassed at all. Men are boys at heart till the end. Love for Tiga knows no age or gender."

"In fact, everyone can become light if they believe in themselves!"

Clap, clap, clap!

"As your big sister who watched you grow up, I'm truly touched."

"You were totally about to say 'as your mom,' weren't you?!"

"Sayaka-nee, you shameless lunatic, don't even think about being my mom!"

"No way! Don't slander me like that!"

Amamiya Saya immediately denied it with all her might.

"Young Master, t-tea is ready."

Mochizuki and Heisong each carried a tea tray wider than themselves as they walked out of the conference room.

The former rushed over with quick steps, while the latter maintained her usual unhurried demeanor.

"Mochizuki, slow down."

Just as Akira spoke, his eyes flickered, and in an instant, his body moved forward like a blur.

Mochizuki's left foot had knocked into her right foot mid-step, causing her to completely lose balance and fall forward.

"Ahhhh!"

A sharp scream instinctively escaped her lips, and her eyes squeezed shut in fear.

Before the tea tray and cups could go flying, Akira swiftly caught the tray with one hand, stabilizing it without spilling a single drop of tea.

With his other hand, he effortlessly wrapped an arm around Mochizuki's slim waist, keeping her from hitting the ground.

Clap clap clap!

"That was so cool!"

"How did you do that?"

"Once your dynamic vision and neural response reach a certain level, it's possible."

"I caught Mochizuki's movements and predicted she was about to fall a moment before it happened."

"So I rushed in before she hit the ground."

"Chisato's reaction time is even faster than mine."

"Isn't there a Guinness World Record for the fastest cowboy quick-draw?"

"I think it's around 0.2 seconds."

"Chisato can do all that in just 0.1 seconds."

"For reference, the average human takes more than 0.2 seconds just to blink."

"Nobody on this planet can outdraw Chisato in a revolver duel."

"What about you?"

"I can't match that speed with a revolver either."

"Unless I use Tai'a—I can use Tai'a to slice Chisato's bullet mid-air."

"But drawing a gun and drawing a sword are fundamentally different."

"A quick-draw with a gun involves pulling the weapon, aiming, and pulling the trigger."

"Drawing a sword, however, is a single, fluid motion."

"That's what we call Iaido in Japan."

"I can draw my sword in just 0.03 seconds."

"And yet, you always say guns are more practical than swords?"

"Ladies, real-world combat isn't a staged duel in a ring."

"If you're swinging a sword in a tropical jungle, you might as well be brain-dead."

"Swordsmanship is only effective when paired with speed and movement."

"In an environment like that, where everyone's mobility is restricted, a single grenade could wipe out a whole squad."

"Why do you think nobody dares to fight me in Kengan matches?"

"Because a ring limits movement."

"If you can't block my Tai'a, you die. Simple as that."

"Honestly, some unscrupulous lunatic is probably already implanting superalloy plates under their skin."

Akira explained matter-of-factly.

"That's terrifying!"

"Implanting metal plates under the skin? What kind of insane modification is that?!"

"Cybernetic augmentation is another path to enhancing human combat abilities."

"It's a different approach compared to genetic modification."

"Some countries are betting on genetic enhancement, while others focus on cybernetics."

"The mildest form of cybernetic enhancement is installing electronic eyes."

"Artificially improving dynamic vision."

"This is just the natural progression of warfare."

"The battle to seize 'it' in the jungle proved that."

"In that kind of environment, overwhelming firepower is useless."

"Unless you plan to destroy its entire habitat."

"Conventional armies are only useful for defending borders and civilians—they're a nation's last line of defense."

"But for specialized infiltration and retrieval missions, you need something beyond human."

"From what I've heard, our current prime minister originally wanted to request the Sword Saint Association's help."

"Japan only has one true 'inhuman' organization, and that's the Sword Saint Association."

"But both the Sword Saint Association and the Emperor rejected the request outright."

"Our prime minister didn't even dare to make a fuss about it."

"You might not know this, but the Sword Saint Association was originally founded to protect the Emperor."

"It was financed directly by the royal family."

"Back then, the Emperor was still the true ruler of the country."

"Now, we all know the royal family has become nothing more than a decorative symbol."

"If it weren't for the Sword Saint Association's military power keeping them in check, politicians and bureaucrats would've completely destroyed the monarchy by now."

"The best proof of this is how Kanade's cousin tried multiple times to pull strings to get into Tokyo University, only to be rejected every single time."

"The Sword Saint Association has the responsibility of guarding the royal family, which means they can siphon government taxes every year while staying completely independent from state control."

"That pisses off the government, but none of those bureaucrats dare to do a damn thing."

"Akira, you sure know a lot of gossip."

"So you're telling me that the reason world governments started pushing environmental protection so hard—going as far as passing the first-ever global law enforcing it—is actually to protect this mysterious species?"

Clap clap clap!

"Bingo. You finally figured it out."

"Every major global event has a reason behind it—they all connect like pieces of a puzzle."

"Once the world's elites discovered Earth was capable of producing something like 'it,' they realized just how important environmental conservation was."

"For all we know, there are even more undiscovered, mysterious species lurking in unexplored regions."

"So every major power joined forces to strong-arm the rest of the world into environmental protection."

"Cut down on fossil fuels, switch everything to renewable energy."

"If it can't be renewable, then don't use electricity at all—just go back to the Stone Age."

"Reforest farmland, especially tropical rainforests."

"The constant wars in the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia? That's part of it."

"Those regions are home to some of the poorest people on Earth."

"And yet, despite the ongoing conflicts, you rarely see heavy weaponry—it's mostly small arms now."

"The major powers aren't stopping those wars, but they're making damn sure nobody messes with the environment."

"If anyone dares to damage nature, they get hit with the full force of a multinational military crackdown."

"So that's why world leaders all suddenly agreed to dismantle most nuclear weapons, keeping only a few for deterrence?"

"Exactly. The global nuclear disarmament treaty was also pushed in the name of environmental preservation."

"Every major power's leaders want to live longer—preferably forever."

"I was wondering why world governments had a collective stroke and actually managed to agree on something like that."

"Turns out it was just self-interest all along."

The childhood friends sneered in unison.

"What did you expect?"

"Progress is always driven by the few."

"Just like how the truth is always controlled by a minority."

"Some use their power, some use their intellect, but in the end, they shape the world."

"I remember the nuclear disarmament treaty making front-page news everywhere."

"It was hailed as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of modern times."

"Can't believe the answer was this simple, and you just casually dropped it."

"Because every person who knew the truth is already dead."

"Any surviving mercenaries were either left in the dark—"

"Every insider is under strict surveillance. The only outcome for leaking secrets is death."

"Even if someone isn't afraid to expose the truth, the monitoring systems will immediately detect it and delete their account in an instant."

"Then their location gets locked down, followed by a very real-world response."

"And what kind of response?"

"Bang! A peanut."

"That joke wasn't funny at all."

"The ones sitting at the top of the world are all ruthless."

"They'd rather have fewer people competing with them for the secret to longevity."

"No way they'd let the common folk find out."

Akira rolled his eyes, looking completely speechless.

"At least ten major factions have managed to get their hands on it."

"The world is only going to get more chaotic from now on."

"What do you think the people who failed to get it are feeling?"

"Frustrated."

"Exactly. They may not have it—but they can steal it."

"Enough about that."

"Kaori, you don't need to feel guilty."

Seeing Miyazono Kaori looking uneasy and doubting herself, Akira immediately guessed what was going through her mind and reassured her.

"It doesn't just extend lifespan—it can heal most injuries in the world."

"The medicine Sayaka-nee gave you was probably made from the leftover scraps during processing."

"Laura-nee risked her life to retrieve it."

"Koko-nee and Lacus-nee also put in a lot of effort."

"That's why Sayaka-nee delivered the first batch of medicine to them."

"I don't have the right to use it on you. That wouldn't align with my principles."

"Even for Alice, I never considered giving it to her first."

"Although what you said does make me feel a little upset, the fact that you're my childhood friend makes me let it slide."

Sakayanagi Alice pouted proudly.

"Our childhood friend is still the same, always unwavering in his principles."

"He's never changed."

"Laura was lucky enough to retrieve three samples. I used two of them to make three doses of the medicine."

"Sayaka-nee, you damn well did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

"Who told you to say it out loud?"

Akira clutched his head in frustration.

"The last one will likely yield two doses, maybe three at best."

"Just in case, I'm keeping one."

"Akira always prioritizes others before himself."

"As his sister and loyal retainer, I have to think ahead for him."

"Besides, as the creator, I naturally get my share."

"As for the final dose, I have two ideas."

"Either dilute it—though reducing the concentration would eliminate the longevity effect, it would still retain about 70–80% of its healing properties."

"Or, we keep it stored."

"Whoever among you ends up needing it first, gets it."

"I think both options are fair."

"What do you guys think?"

"After all, we already have two people stuck in wheelchairs."

"Sayaka-nee, I—"