Chapter 3 The Incident Occurred While I Was Gone. I Knew Then I Was Never Meant to Be a Detective.
The morning sun rose above the horizon, illuminating the water cottages.
Blinding sunbeams streamed in through the windows, bathing Masato’s face and forcing him awake.
“Ugh…morning? Yawn… Wait.”
He turned away from the light and looked around, dazed.
This was a bedroom. Not that large of a room—yet it had five beds, all squeezed in here together. Each one had an exotic canopy draped over it, so this place totally screamed “resort,” but that only added to the cramped feel.
But there was only Masato here, which alleviated that a bit.
“Everyone else already woke up? Hold on…”
He could hear a tapping sound, like someone chopping food.
“…Geez, I told her not to cook for me!”
Masato quickly changed from his pajamas into a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, and ran out of the bedroom.
The water cottages weren’t particularly roomy. The bedroom door led directly into the living room, a space for relaxing on shell-shaped couches.
The kitchen was located on the side of the room, where Masato spied the back of the person he needed to talk to:
Mamako, humming to herself as she got breakfast ready.
“Mom! We need to talk.”
“Oh, Ma-kun! Good morning! You’re up early. As a reward for waking up on your own, let me give you a good-boy head rub!”
“That’s great and all, but I’m not in the mood for goofing around!”
He almost started yelling at her.
But he stopped himself in time, took a deep breath, and spoke calmly.
“Yesterday you ran into the Libere Heavenly Kings, and one of them knocked you down pretty hard, right? You sure you’re okay to move around?”
“Oh my! Thank you for worrying. But I’m fine.”
“I really can’t trust those words from you, not at a time like this…”
“But I really am fine! It wasn’t like he hit me hard. He just gave me a little push backward!”
“So it was just a knockback attack? Still…”
Mamako getting thrown at all was cause for alarm.
And not just that—without their equipment, they couldn’t use any healing spells, didn’t have any healing items, and didn’t have the materials to create any. There was nothing they could do if someone got hurt. Yet, Mamako was getting up early and making breakfast just like always.
“Hee-hee. You’re worried about your Mommy, Ma-kun?”
“W-well…I guess. Sort of.”
“Then it’s up to Mommy to make sure her precious son doesn’t have to worry. Ma-kun, would you kneel for me?”
“Huh? Uh, sure…”
He did as he was told, kneeling on the floor.
Mamako put her arms around his head, pulling his ear against her stomach.
“…Uh.”
“Now, Ma-kun. Listen close. Is Mommy’s belly saying, ‘Ouchie!’ where it got hit?”
“Of course not. Bellies can’t talk. Duh. This is so dumb.”
“Then Mommy is just fine. No problems at all.”
“Rrgh…”
She was totally treating him like a child, comforting him, and that was so frustrating, but at the same time…
A mother’s belly, the first home (biologically speaking) that he’d known—it was impossible not to get a sense of relief from it, impossible not to find himself calming down. It was soft and warm, and it drained the tension from him. This was also frustrating, but…
Masato gently pushed Mamako back and stood up.
“…Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”
“Thank you. I’m glad to hear it.”
“But don’t push yourself, okay? If anything feels off, tell me. I’m not like you. I’m not magically good at everything, but someday I’ll get my hands on true strength! I’ll have power even greater than yours! Hopefully!”
“I know. I’m looking forward to it! Hee-hee.”
“Just you wait! My evolution will be worth it.”
When this would happen was a mystery, but he had faith.
“In that case, Ma-kun, there is one favor I’d like to ask.”
“Oh? What is it?! Lay it on me!”
“Could you go track down Wise, Medhi, and Porta? The three of them went out for a morning walk, but breakfast is almost ready. Let’s get everyone back together and eat!”
“My first job, and I’m already an errand boy…”
Every journey begins with a single step. Masato decided this was his.
Masato left the cottage and went down the long pier.
He was aiming for a relaxing stroll, but it was hard to feel relaxed.
“I can’t believe anyone could blow my mom away single-handedly… Medhi said they might be a third Heavenly King? If I’d been there—”
Even in jest, he couldn’t bring himself to pretend he could have made a difference.
“Sigh… Blue skies, blue sea, white sand…a flawless resort. And yet the mission this hero’s been given is a fetch quest. That’s my reality. Argh, if only I had a power that could astonish everyone…”
It was like he was in paradise, but there was a cloud over his head alone.
He reached the beach.
“Gotta find the girls, or we can’t eat. Better get looking… Heeeey! Breakfast’s ready! Gather round!” he called.
No answer.
No sign of anyone in the water, on the beach, or in the jungle. Just some weirdly burnt-looking coconut trees and coconuts…
And a big burnt peach.
“…Mm? A peach? Here? And why is it burnt?”
Round, with some sort of rind on it, a faint groove down the center…definitely peach-like.
There was an unnatural outcropping of vines at the jungle’s edge, and the peach was growing out of it…or maybe just jutting out of it?
Either way.
“This might make for a good dessert after breakfast. I’d better pick it.”
He grabbed the round sides with both hands. “Whoa, that’s really soft! Don’t wanna squish it.” He flexed his fingers, enjoying the sensation a bit as he carefully pulled…
“Mahh?!”
There came a familiar, dazed-sounding voice.
“Wait, I know that voice… Fratello?”
“That you, sonny? Those your hands on my tush?”
“Wait, this isn’t a peach? Your…tush? This is a butt? Your butt?!”
“Like I said, that’s my tush. Let go of it, will ya?”
“R-right! Sorry!”
Fratello seemed super-calm, but Masato hastily let go anyway.
“Good grief… I took one step into the jungle, and these dang vine monsters swiped all my clothing… I made myself some clothes out of plants and came here, then got caught in a trap we set… How stupid is that, eh?”
“Huh? A trap we set?”
“Never mind that. Could ya help me out here, sonny? I’d owe you one.”
“Will do. I’ll make sure you pay me back, though!”
Masato got right on it. He grabbed Fratello’s waist and gave him a good, hard pull. “Mwgahhhhh!” “Those vines are pretty tight, huh?” Fratello was letting out some weird moans. They didn’t sound right.
Masato switched tactics, trying to rip the vines directly. He slowly managed to free the body, the delicate limbs, and finally the leaf-covered white head.
“I should be able to pull you out now… Here goes. One, two… Whoa!”
“Mah!”
He grabbed Fratello from behind and pulled hard. The boy came out far more easily than anticipated, and Masato fell backward with Fratello on top of him.
Fratello ended up straddling Masato’s belly, swaying a bit, staring blearily down at him.
“Whew… Ya really bailed me out there, sonny.”
“You’re welcome. Wow, you’re light… Are you getting enough to eat?”
“Darn tootin’ I am! Just can’t seem to put on much muscle… Wonder why.”
“Well, no use asking me. I dunno. Just the way you were made, I guess.”
Not really thinking about it, Masato gave Fratello’s body a few quick prods. Definitely barely any muscle. Shoulders, arms, around the waist, legs—no flab, but no muscle, either.
…Kinda like Porta’s build.
Naturally, he’d never been this handsy with Porta, but she and Fratello had similar builds, or at least bone structures.
Then Fratello suddenly hopped up. “Guh!” “Sorry, kid.” He stepped off Masato’s belly.
“Anyhoo, since we’re both here, I’d love to trade blows like male friends do, but…yawn…I spent all night trapped in them vines, so I’m plumb tuckered out. Gotta bid ya farewell for now.”
“You should. And take a bath—you smell like leaves. Do you have a bath? If not, you can borrow ours…”
“That’d make two things I owe ya, sonny. Can’t have that.”
“Don’t see the point in standing on that principle, but suit yourself.”
“Principles make the man, sonny. Next time we meet, I’ll be sure to pay ya back for this favor. Bye!”
“Sure. See you later.”
Fratello ran off into the jungle.
He’d been sort of hoping to spar some more, so it was a shame to see him leave, but Masato let him go…
And then the girls came running down the beach, clearly excited.
“Oh, Masato!” shouted Wise. “Perfect timing! Listen!”
“Where’d you guys come from? I was just looking for you, and—”
“Never mind that! Listen to us first!” said Medhi. “There are people on the island!”
“People are working in the hotel and the shops!” cried Porta. “They’re carrying luggage in! It’s like a real resort now!”
“…Wait, seriously?”
After a quick meal, the party left the water cottages.
Even as they moved down the pier, the island’s transformation was obvious.
There were a number of airships in the sky. Several large sailing ships were anchored in the shallows. Dinghies lowered at their sides, filled with people. Merfolk were towing those dinghies to the shore.
And beastkin laden with luggage were piling out of the dinghies and out of the airships above, descending on the island.
“Oh my! So many tourists! Business will be booming!”
“Too much booming, too fast…”
The party joined the flow of tourists, heading down the promenade.
So many people. Not just tourists, but people acting as guides. “This way, please!” “Please don’t eat the wild fruits!” They were clearly working hard and making a good impression, but…
The party soldiered on before finally reaching the shopping district, which was even more crowded.
There were people at each of the fruit-shaped shops and vendors, at the root vegetable cottages, and at all windows of the broccoli high-rise hotel.
“Yikes… So many people, so many ears and tails…”
“And people working in the lodgings and the shops, all open for business… This really did become a resort overnight.”
“Did Mama push herself again?”
“What could this mean? …Oh, I know! You ladies were so nice to Mommy, and such good girls, that the mom power granted our wishes! I’m sure that’s what this was. Hee-hee.”
“That’s a load of nonsense. You totally asked for this on the sly, right, Mom? …Wait.”
Masato spotted someone.
A beastkin woman was staring up at the Mamako statue. Black pointy ears, a long thin tail, black hair.
A cat woman, wearing a summer-style nun habit (with a bit more skin exposed).
“A nun habit… This sinking feeling in my chest… Nope, didn’t see a thing. Nothing to see here.”
Masato was about to drag his eyes away…
…when the woman abruptly died and became enveloped in a coffin.
“Geez…”
“Give it up, Masato. This is our destiny. Only one person has such improbable deaths and coffin exposure.”
“Argh, that’s exactly why I was trying to avoid her!”
Mamako obtained a revival item from a friendly tourist in exchange for an autograph.
They used it to bring the coffin’s occupant back to life—it was definitely her. Even before the coffin had entirely faded, unflappable eyes were staring right at them.
“…Hi, Shiraaase.”
“We meowt again. For reviving meow once again, I meowst express my gratitude.”
“You’re already really forcing the cat talk. If you’re gonna be a cat girl, just lazily stick a meow at the end of every sentence, please.”
“Following the established template is, of course, invaluable, but Shiraaase—er, Meowraaase—believes it is equally imeowportant to investigate mew purrssibilities. I can infooormeow you of this!”
“You really need to stop changing your name on a whim.”
“Meownever.”
She was going to be the mysterious cat-pun nun until she got sick of it, apparently.
“Right, Meowraaase, what made you come all the way meowt here?”
“You mean, what brings meow to the Aichi server? The answer is meowst simple. I exist meownly to ensure that you all have a purrleasant and enjoyable game life. Even if you meowsied into the depths of mewhell itself, I would find you all and come scampering. That is meow job.”
“I feel like you’re generally more of a threat to our safety and enjoyment…and there’s no respite, even in the bowels of hell. Or mewhell, whatever that is. Is it this situation we’re in right now?”
“Wherever you may go, your own meowther, your purrty, and other people’s meowther’s will follow. The purrfect adventure! Meow-ha-ha.”
Meowraaase mockingly patted Masato’s shoulder with a paw.
She then turned to Mamako.
“Ms. Meowraaase, those ears and tail are simply meowvelous! Hee-hee.”
“Well, this is as close to a vacation as I’meow likely to get! I’meow trying to have a little fun. But meow did you all end up here? This island was left off the map purr a reason.”
“We were supposed to be headed directly to an island south of Meowterville for a vacation, but—”
“Meowr airship crashed on the way, stranding us here. It was like, whoosh, ka-boom,” said Wise. “Plus we lost all meowr gear and had to start meowr survivalist life literally naked.”
“But thanks to Mamako, we had everything we mewded,” explained Medhi. “So we decided to develop our own meowsort and vacation here!”
“And when we came to check it out, we found Shiraaase! I mean, Meowraaase!” added Porta.
“Yo, people. No need to talk the way she is. That’ll just encourage her.”
“Meowat’s meowot meowrue.”
“SEE?! Now I can’t even figure out what’s she saying! Please don’t add fuel to the fire.”
“Okay, okay,” said Wise, giving in. “But, uh, in the bad news department, Amante and Sorella are on the island.”
“And not just them,” continued Medhi. “There’s a third Heavenly King. It was over so fast we don’t really know much yet…”
“Curious. I feel well versed in meowst of the situation. Thank you for infooormeowing me of this. For meow part…”
Meowraaase glanced around the party, took a long look at Porta and her lack of bag, and then appeared worried.
“…I can infooormeow you that the loss of your equipment comes as the meowst significant shock.”
“Eep…I-I’m so sorry…”
“It’s not your fault, Porta,” said Wise. “The situation left us with no options.”
“We were all excited about the vacation and thoughtlessly let our best gear go,” agreed Medhi.
“I have meow intention of rebuking you for what happened. But since it has…I do worry that it will throw a paw in my plan.”
Meowraaase thought hard for a minute.
“Your plan? …Oh, right, of course you have one.”
“Allow meow to be honest. I do. When I used my meowdmin purrivileges to determine your location, I thought the meowse trap had sprung, but without your equipment…Wise and Medhi can’t even use meowgic!”
“Sad, but true.”
“Especially for me. Wise is obviously no different from—ow!”
“Oh, sorry about that, Medhi! Your foot seemed like it was just begging me to stomp on it!” Stomp, stomp.
“And we can’t rely on Purrta’s items, either. Meowsato never was much of a fighter…”
“Ack…that’s…that’s not true! I could technically fight before! Just not without my gear…”
“And Meowmako’s out of commission, too.”
“Oh? I’m totally fine. Even without the swords, I’ve managed to—”
“Mom, stop. We’re not allowing it.”
Wise, Medhi, and Porta all nodded in agreement. No more forcing herself.
“That certainly could be cat-astrophic.”
“You know, with you talking like that, it’s impossible to take you seriously…but you’re right. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like we’ll be very useful…”
“No, no, of course you will, meow. I just feel sorry for you getting meowxed up in all this without your equipmeownt,” said Meowraaase without even batting an eye.
Everyone else turned pale.
“Uh, crap! We’ve gotta find our equipment, stat! This is bad!”
“Find the bag before trouble finds us!”
“Hurry! We don’t have a second to spare!”
“I’ll do my very very best!”
“Okay, let’s split up! I’ll go—”
“I think we should first ask around and see if anyone picked it up for us. The jungle’s dangerous, so let’s not go in there alone, okay? Promise Mommy.”
“Uh, right, right, sure! Commence searching!”
They scattered in all directions.
But as much as they wanted to hurry, the area was jam-packed with tourists. The simplest movements took ages, involving many bumped shoulders, apologies, and further bumps the moment they turned around.
And they were being watched.
“The island we wanted to remain uninhabited ended up with lots of people on it, which is bad…”
“But maybe not all baaaad.”
They were lounging in a tropical café, elegantly sipping on tropical juice.
Amante wore a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt, while Sorella had found one with bones on it. Both pairs of eyes were on Masato’s party.
“Like hiding trees in a forest—with all these people around, we can sit right here, and no one will notice.”
“And instead of working up a sweaaaat, we can relaaaax and still monitor them just fiiiine. This is greaaaat.”
“Wetting our whistles with one hundred percent juice, watching them with one hundred percent no wasted effort…this is pretty nice, really.”
Amante moved the bag from her feet to the table.
It was a shoulder bag. There was a bunny doll hanging off of it, swaying forlornly.
“They’re running around searching for Porta’s bag, unaware we found it first! Mwa-ha-ha! This is hilarious.”
“They’re soooo duuumb. It’s hilaaaarious! Ahhh-ha-haa… Soooo…now whaaat? Do we do as Fratello saaaid? Should we give it baaack?”
“Hell no. No reason we should follow Fratello’s orders. I wanna do something to teach these people a lesson. Especially Wise the Sage and Medhi the Cleric. I wanna teach them a couple lessons each.”
“I agreeee. We have to pay them back for yesterdaaaay. Hmm…but let’s think about it laaater. First, we need to celebrate being ahead of Mamakoooo.”
“Yep. A toast to victory! Heh-heh. Mwa-ha-ha!”
They clinked their glasses together, laughing merrily.
But they were being watched.
“Mind if I ask mew one question? Purrdon the intrusion.”
“What? We already paid for the juice.”
“I’meow not here for the bill. About what mew just said…the bag on the table belongs to the Traveling Merchant Porta? You’re purrsative?”
“Of course we are. Only the owner can open it, so we can’t check the contents, but I’ve seen this doll before. Wait—”
“Why would a waitress ask thaaat? None of your busineeeeess. And whyyyy are you talking so weird?”
Annoyed, they turned around…
…and found Meowraaase staring silently at them.
“Huh? …Oh…y-you’re the admin?!”
“Purrease remain quiet. Meowmako and her purrty are still close by. If mew raise a fuss, they’ll notice.”
“Th-that would be baaad! I don’t want to fiiiight. Let’s be quieeet!”
“Thank mew very meowch. Now…”
Keeping her eyes locked on the two tense girls, Meowraaase considered her next move.
What meowxactly is going on here?
Meowraaase had been planning on filing a situation report with management while Mamako and company searched for the bag, but the moment she stepped into the café to do so, she’d found two Libere Heavenly Kings sitting there.
And the bag the party was looking for was with them. Far too convenient.
I’d love to brag about this to Meowsato’s purrty and play cat and meowse with them about it, but…this is quite a purrdicament.
The two girls staring wordlessly up at her seemed to be in even more of a predicament, however. What was her next move?
Either way, she had to recover the bag.
But I’meow a noncombatant. Even without fighting, I’m meowst likely to die here…
In which case, getting word to Mamako took top priority.
Right meow they’re missing their equipment. And with the crowds around us here…purroblematic.
She had to avoid any kind of fighting. But how?
For now, she chugged the two glasses of tropical juice on the table. “Hey! Those were ours!” “Aaaaah!” That gave her a moment to think.
“…Enough playing around.”
Meowraaase removed her cat equipment.
She put the cat ear headband on Amante’s head and the cat tail accessory on Sorella’s head…
“Amante, Sorella…what say you team up with me?”
…and proposed a betrayal.
Meanwhile:
Masato had immediately broken his promise to his mother and headed out on his own.
“That bag is definitely still in the jungle. The area where we landed was designated a survivalist zone… Not many people would be interested in such a harsh environment. Instead of asking around, searching for ourselves will be way more…”
…efficient, he thought.
“Darling, if we hollowed out this tree and made it a house, wouldn’t it be lovely?”
“Yes, honey. But let’s not rule out living in a cave.”
“Daaad! Mooom! This is like the mountain behind our house!”
“Ha-ha-ha! What are you saying, son? This is far milder than that!”
“There aren’t even any carnivores! It’s so safe here. Barely worth calling a jungle.”
The survivalist zone was already packed with tourists.
And given the high physical stats beastkin had, what was a harsh natural environment to a human was basically just a playground to them. “Ah-ahhh-ahhhhhh!” “Yee-haw!” Adults and children alike were swinging around on vines like Tarzan.
“Ready…go!”
““““Uraghhhhhh!””””
There were groups using their sharp claws to race each other to the tops of slick broccoli stalks.
This was more of an athletics zone now. And one on easy mode.
“Uh…maybe it would be faster to ask people in the shopping area if they were coming back from playing in the jungle…”
Masato was starting to regret his decision.
Then he noticed all the beastkin around him moving. Every ear twitched, all turning in the same direction. Toward the water.
“…Um, what is it?”
“Just heard a loud honking sound. And then…yeah, an announcement for some sort of event.”
“R-really? I didn’t hear anything…”
But the beastkin clearly had. “Wanna go?” “Yeah.” “Let’s!” Gathering the people around them, they started heading toward the sound.
What should Masato do?
“Hmm…I’ve gotta find the bag, but…I am curious…”
Maybe just a peek. He followed the others to check it out.
When he left the jungle, he found…
…a rectangle drawn on the white sand with a stick.
It was divided evenly into two sections, with a net set up in the middle—all ready to go.
Once a sizable crowd had appeared, Shiraaase stepped forward in a black bikini.
“We will now begin the uninhabited island beach volleyball event!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the crowd erupted in cheers. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for!” “Hell yeah!” “You’re hot!” “Yet, I’m already a mother! Heh-heh-heh!” Shiraaase seemed quite pleased.
Before the match could begin, there were announcements to be made. Shiraaase took the referee’s seat and infooormed the crowd.
“The beach volleyball match is about to begin! This match is being held with the cooperation of a certain organization, so one team will be composed of members from said organization. There will be only one set. Whichever team scores fifteen points first will be the winner.”
The crowd seemed to be clamoring for more than that, but to no avail.
Other voices were shouting for girls in swimsuits, and they got their wish.
“Then let’s introduce this organization’s team! Come on down!”
Shiraaase looked to the air above the court on the right. Floating above it…
…was a tatami-sized magic tome. Two girls jumped down, one carrying the other on her shoulders…
Thump! Amante and Sorella landed in the middle of the court.
“Ha-ha! Nailed it.”
“Hiiii! Cheer for uuuus.”
Both were wearing two-piece Rebellion uniforms. Bodies that had always been in great shape looked even more fit in this sporty gear. Judging by their outfits, it was easy to see they meant business.
“Next, let’s introduce our challengers! Come on out!”
Shiraaase gestured toward the crowd, which parted, allowing two girls to step out, shoulder to shoulder.
“Geez, one word from Shiraaase and look what we have to do. I’m in, of course, but still.”
On the right, we have Wise, wearing a ravishing crimson bikini, and doing a few light stretches.
“I have no complaints about the match itself, but I am worried about getting sunburned. Let’s finish this quickly.”
On the left: Medhi, wearing a pure-white bikini. She was putting her hair up, and getting ready to play some volleyball.
Their entrance drew cheers and stares. They stepped into the left court, glaring across the net at their opponents.
“Wait, it’s just the two of you? Isn’t there one more?”
“Mwa-ha-haaa! Wherever could the third one beeee? You’d better watch ouuut.”
“Cower in fear of the enemy you don’t see! Because even we don’t know the third person’s location!”
“Argh, don’t explain thaaaat! Please, you’ve got to do something about that habiiiit!”
“So he’s not here, then? Regardless, we mustn’t let our guard down, but it sounds like we can focus on beating the two of you for the time being.”
“Next question—what the heck were you guys thinking, challenging us to a beach volleyball match?”
“No reason not to tell you that. This was proposed by our coconspirator, Shiraaase!”
“This was Shiraaase’s idea…? What?!”
“Ms. Shiraaase is cooperating with the enemy?!”
Both Wise and Medhi turned to glare at the referee’s chair. Shiraaase returned a calm, sinister smile…
“Don’t believe us? Well, it’s true. Our primary goal is to send you packing. But…it’s not that we’re afraid of you or anything. We just would prefer to avoid armed combat. And this crafty lady picked up on that…”
“By which she means Amante ran her dumb big mouth agaaaain. And theeeeen, she suggested a beach volleyball maaatch.”
“You mean… Oh, right. Well, without our weapons, we’d prefer to avoid combat, too, so this works for us…”
“It sounds like Ms. Shiraaase did a good job talking them into it.”
The woman in the ref chair still had a calm, sinister smile, but…come to think of it, that was just her default expression. Nothing unusual here.
“So if we participate in this match, we get Porta’s bag back. That’s the deal, right? Is that true? Do you really have her bag?”
“We do. Sorella?”
“Right, riiiight.”
The magic tome hovering over the court tipped, and the bag came tumbling off.
It was a shoulder bag with a bunny doll hanging off of it. Amante caught it easily.
“That’s really Porta’s bag?”
“There’s a chance it’s a fake…”
“Sheesh, you people are suspicious of everything.”
“Why don’t you get it appraaaaised, then? Portaaaa! Come heeeere!”
“Huh? …Oh, okay! I’ll appraise it!”
Porta popped out of the stands wearing a frilly princess swimsuit and took the bag from Amante.
The second it was in her hands, she knew—no need to appraise it. A huge smile bloomed on her face.
“This is my bag! I’m sure of it!”
“The authenticity of the bag is proven! Okay, Porta, while we face off, you hold on to the bag.”
“Don’t lose iiiit! Don’t even put it dooown!”
“Okay! I’ll make sure to keep it safe! It’ll never leave my side!”
She put the bag over her shoulders. Safe! Porta looked so happy she was practically hopping as she went back to the stands.
“Uh, I just had a thought…,” said Wise. “Don’t we now…”
“…have the bag back? Yes,” answered Medhi.
“What are you whispering about? Let’s get this match started!”
“If you wiiiiin, we’ll give the bag baaack. But you don’t stand a chaaance.”
““Uh…sure…””
Team Heavenly Kings vs Team Wise and Medhi!
The prize: the rights to the bag that was already back in Porta’s hands!
Sorella made the first serve.
“Here goooes!”
As she jumped for the serve, the eyes of every man there snapped to her chest—she certainly wasn’t lacking in that department, and the jiggle was more than noticeable. The ball, meanwhile, sailed safely over the net.
Wise was waiting for it.
“If it’s the Libere Heavenly Kings we’re fighting, that’s reason enough! We’re in this to win this!”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
Wise with the bump. No accompanying jiggle. Medhi with the set. Quite a bit of jiggle. “Hah!” Wise with a powerful spike! Jiggle-free!
However…
“Humph! Too easy!”
Amante moved too fast for the eye to see, stopping right under the ball.
She folded her arms and spread her legs, and the ball bounced up and away.
“Hey! That was… Oh, right! Your Reflection skill!”
“That’s right! Any attack just bounces right off! With this skill and my superior physical abilities, the ball will never touch the ground! Now then…Sorella!”
“Right, riiight. Comiiiing. Aaand set!”
Amante jumped. Her incredible physical strength was about to deliver an incredibly powerful spike. Wise and Medhi braced themselves for a desperate save…
“Heh…just kidding.” Tap!
““What?!””
She’d feigned a spike and then hit a soft lob. “She tricked us! Argh!” It sailed over Wise and Medhi’s heads, dropping toward the back line. Wise lunged after it.
“Not happening! Rahhhh!”
She just barely made it. She had to do a headfirst slide in the sand to knock it up.
“Medhi, it’s all you!”
“Got it! Hah!”
As the ball wafted upward above the line, Medhi went for the back row attack!
Arms built for melee damage sent the ball whistling just over the net. “Yiiiikes!” Right toward Sorella. Aiming for the weaker opponent! A spiteful blow.
But Amante was too fast. She was in front of Sorella in an instant, her reflection bouncing the ball away.
“I figured you would go for that, Cleric!” said Amante.
“Tch! She read me like a book!”
“Well, duh, you’re notoriously evil! Of course you’re gonna aim for the weak spot!”
“Shut up, Wise!”
“Thaaaanks, Amante! Riiiight! Seeet!”
“Take this! Hah!”
Amante jumped. This time she was definitely spiking!
“Medhi! Stop her!”
“Right! I swear I will this time!”
Wise and Medhi were breathing in sync up by the nets, desperately blocking—
“Just kidding.” Tap!
Another soft lob sent the ball sailing mockingly over their heads.
“This again?!”
“You both suck! But we’re not done yet!”
Wise desperately chased after the ball again, doing another headfirst sliding bump at the line! She’d made it in time once more!
And she knocked the ball over to the opponents’ court.
Uh-oh.
“Perfect setup! You ready for this, Wise the Sage?!”
Amante’s spike! The third time was true. A full-powered blow, so hard it nearly popped the ball, sending it flying at incredible speeds!
With no time to get up, Wise was still lying on her face! The ball bounced off her butt!
“Owwwwwwww!”
“Yes! Score!”
The ball bounced out of bounds. One point to Team Heavenly Kings.
Meanwhile, Wise and Medhi had lost a point. Wise’s ass was done for.
There was a whole crowd watching, but she was waaaay past caring. She was rolling around, both hands clamped on her ass, wailing.
“Ahhhhhhh! M…my! My aaaaaahhh! My aaaaaaaassss!”
“Wise! Stand up! They scored a point, so they’re keeping the serve!”
“Already doooone!” called Sorella.
“Wha?! Tch…I’m not letting you get a service ace!”
The ball was heading toward the line. Medhi went into a headfirst slide and barely managed to knock it up.
The ball went to the opponent’s court. Amante was waiting for it.
“I’m not ending up like Wise! I’ve gotta get up and…eep!”
Medhi tried to scramble up, but she was unable to push herself off the ground.
All strength had left her body.
“Wh-why…? Gasp! Is this Amante’s doing?!”
“I have noooo idea what you’re talking abouuut! No Debuff skill heeere! Mwa-ha-haaa!”
“As if! You cheater!”
“Well, Amanteee? Finish them off for me, won’t yooou?”
“Gotcha. Hah!”
Amante spiked! The ball crashed down like a meteor!
And slammed Medhi square in the butt! Critical hit!
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Aiiieeeee!”
“Bingooo! Amanteee! Nicely dooone! Aaaaah-ha-haaaa!”
“Heh-heh. Revenge is sweet. This is payback for you fooling around with our butts that one time!”
Clearly, she hadn’t forgotten having her butt mistaken for a peach and savagely pawed at the day before.
But perhaps she should have considered the phrasing. Every man and woman in the crowd turned bright red as they looked from one team to the other. “I—I didn’t mean it like that!” “She diiiiidn’t!” The crowd wasn’t that far off the mark, really…
But the match was still in progress.
“Keep it goiiiing! Make sure Wise never moves agaaain!”
“Wha—? Stop that! Augh, I can’t even get up!”
“Sorella, summon some skeleton forces and make them bump it back.”
“Got iiiit! If they return the baaaall, we can hit them over and over agaaain!”
Skeletal hands rose out of the court around Wise and Medhi.
Preparing for an execution.
“Make sure you go for Wise! Start with her!”
“Dammit, Medhi! Quit joking around!”
“Okay, you two! Kiss your butts good-bye!”
“Here goes my seeeerve!”
““Nooooooooooo!!””
Merciless focused attacks began raining down on the girls’ backsides…
But then…
…Shiraaase blew her whistle.
“I’d like to infooorm you of a player change. Wise and Medhi are tagging out…”
A stir ran through the crowd. The new player appeared.
Luxuriously large, bountiful boobs. Firm backside covered by the base minimum amount of fabric.
Each step made the swimsuit ride up, and her fingers tugged it back.
All eyes snapped onto her. A roar went up from the crowd. Mamako took the court, outshining everyone there.
“Wise, Medhi, sorry it took me so long to change. But don’t worry! I’ll take it from here.”
“M-Mamakooooo! Pleeeeease!”
“Please bring the hammer of justice! Be our ass avenger! Oh, but…you were so tired yesterday…”
“Thank you for worrying! But I’m fine now. I can do this! Go cool your behinds off! Porta, dear, could you help them out?”
“Yes! My bag’s back, so I have all my items! Leave it to me!”
As Mamako stepped onto the court, the skeleton hands withdrew under the surface, almost like they were afraid of her. Porta came running out and pulled Wise and Medhi out of bounds.
By the side of the broadcast club seats, they managed to get to all fours, and Porta applied cooling gel sheets to their rear ends. “Eeeek!” “Ah-haah?!” They made weird noises, but that just proved it was working.
“My, what a relief! Now…I have some behinds to avenge!”
Mamako smiled at her opponents from the other side of the net.
Meanwhile, the sweat pouring down the Libere team’s bodies was unrelated to the workout they’d been getting. But they grinned through it.
“There you are, Mamako Oosuki! Let’s make one thing clear: This is beach volleyball!”
“Not combaaaat! Follow the ruuules! And let’s have fuuun!”
“Yes, I know. I’m here to play volleyball.”
“So let me say one thing! We’ve got two! And you only have one!”
“Weee’re children, and youuu’re a mother, so two against one seems faaaair.”
“Goodness, are we already ignoring the rules? Is that okay?”
Mamako looked to the ref’s chair.
But Shiraaase never noticed. Her eyes were darting around the crowd, like she was looking for something…
And Sorella took that opportunity to serve.
“Here gooooes!”
The ball traced a gentle arc.
“How do I play volleyball alone? I can only touch it once…so…”
“She’s gonna try to hit it back! My Reflection skill will cover it! Come at me!”
“Well, okay! …Hyah!”
Mamako jumped near the net! A very mild spike. “Huh?” Such a warm, gentle spike that it caught Amante off guard and hit her in the forehead.
It barely bounced at all and just fell limply to the court at her feet.
“Uh, what??”
“Hee-hee! It worked. One point for me!”
“Amanteeee! What are you doooooing?! You have to reflect it properlyyy!”
“Reflect… Oh, that explains it! My skill is just reflection!”
It only knocked things back as hard as they came in.
For a spike that gentle, the bounce back was equally weak.
“Well done, Mamako Oosuki! Still, that was a ridiculously weak spike…”
“Not at aaaall like Mamako. You can really tell her mom power’s being restraaained. The special effect of our hideouuut. Seems like it’s workiiiing?”
“And she burned too much power developing this island, so she’s super worn-out. Heh-heh-heh. In that case—”
“I’m serving next, right? Here goes!”
Mamako’s serve. “Okay! Hyah!” An easy arc over to the other court.
Meanwhile, Amante gave up on using her skill to reflect it, put her arms together, and bumped normally.
“Another wimpy hit! That clinches it! Mamako Oosuki can’t use her usual strength at all! This is our chance!”
“Then let’s do iiiit! Here goes, Amanteee! Seeet!”
“Find out what my full-strength attack can do!” Poke.
“Oh!”
The ball fell just inside the net. Mamako had been backing up, ready to receive, and she tried to dive forward. “Oops!” But—maybe because of exhaustion—her legs got caught in the sand, and she fell down.
She did manage to knock the ball higher, but it was a very soft lob, perfectly setting her opponents up.
“Crap! Mamako, get up!”
“She’s aiming for you! Evade!”
“Mama! Run!”
The girls were screaming.
“…Hey, Mom?! …Right, this is my chance…!”
A boy’s voice came from somewhere in the distance.
Mamako’s head snapped up, but she was still unable to get to her feet…
And Amante was leaping high into the air.
“I’m gonna make this moment count!”
“The Libere Rebellion will defeat this motherrr! This day will go down in historyyyy!”
“Mamako Oosuki’s…butt! Prepare yourself! Hah!”
Amante’s ass-destroyer spike exploded! The ball rocketed directly toward…!
“A mother’s behind is no place for a ball!”
The sand next to Mamako suddenly moved, a cylinder rising out of it and batting the ball away.
The sand cylinder’s shape evolved, branching, forming arms and legs—until it was humanoid, and then human.
The face perfectly mirrored Mamako’s, but wore a slightly darker expression.
The size of her breasts, the curve of her figure, the firmness of her backside—all were identical to Mamako. The ultimate mom body sheathed in a swimsuit of the same design (just a palette swap.)
Hahako had appeared.
“…Huh?”
“Whaaaa?!”
“Oh my! Hahako! Perfect timing.”
“It’s been far too long, Mamako. I’m sorry it took me so long to get here; moving between servers proved quite a hassle. Can you still stand?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Now, then…”
The ball was falling toward her, so Mamako went for the set. Hahako followed with the attack.
Amante and Sorella were too stunned to move. The ball landed in their court. Point for Team Mamako and Hahako.
““Hee-hee! We did it!”” High five!
“Bleghhhh?! Hahako’s heeeeere?!”
“Our mortal enemy! The one who keeps trying to make us her children! Shiraaase! Get Hahako out of here! Now!”
“This makes it two vs two. I was expecting this to happen, which is exactly why I contacted her in advance. Heh-heh.”
“Bleghhhhh?! Youuuu summoned her here, Shiraaaaaase?!”
“Why would you do that?! Aren’t you on our side?!”
“I’ve betrayed you.” Shiraaase didn’t bat an eye.
“And without so much as a glimmer of guuuilt?!”
“Now, now, girls,” said Hahako. “Parent-child volleyball will allow our hearts to communicate. I’ll serve next!”
The match resumed. Hahako made a heartfelt serve.
A nice, gentle arc. A ball filled with a mother’s love.
“Argh!” Amante said. “I can’t receive that!”
She kicked it straight up.
The ball rocketed skyward, even higher than the giant magic tome floating over the Libere side of the court.
“Hey, Amanteeee! What are you doiiiing?! I can’t set thaaat!”
“No, Sorella. You’re gonna give me the best set ever. We’re way past being choosy about methods, got it?”
“What does that meeean? Ohhh…no, I get iiiit. Okaaaay.”
Sorella grasped Amante’s plan soon enough.
Just as the ball above was hidden behind the giant magic tome, Sorella quietly cast a spell.
“…Spara la magia per mirare… Piombo Sfera!”
And a ball fell from behind the magic tome…a suspiciously blackened ball.
Amante launched herself into the air, basically tackling the ball.
“Try and receive this, mothers!”
With a clearly metallic clang, the black ball was flung away, its trajectory changed.
It was now falling directly toward Mamako.
“Oh my! Receiving that seems like it would hurt a lot.”
“Then let’s change how we receive it. We’ll play the same game they are! The rules no longer matter.”
“Yes, it certainly seems like they don’t. Porta, would you mind?”
“Okay! Mama, here!”
Porta came dashing over and handed Mamako a pair of Holy Swords. Hahako drew the same swords from the sand at her feet.
In the right hand, the Holy Sword of Earth, Terra di Madre. In the left, the Holy Sword of the Ocean, Altura.
Mamako and Hahako breathing as one. Each swung their Altura.
““One, two…receive!””
The power of water activated. Seawater pooled in front of them and then shot upward.
The black ball, knocked into the air by the geyser, hurtled toward the opponent’s court.
“Waaaah! It came baaack!”
“I can reflect it! Sorella, get ready for the set! We’re up against water…you know what that means?”
“I doooo! …Spara la magia per mirare… Calore Ardente!”
The ball was reflected off Amante, and then Sorella’s spell did the set.
The heat of the impact turned the ball red, and Amante used her reflection to attack!
“It’ll vaporize water instantly! Good luck with—”
“Mamako, are you ready?”
“Yes! Here we go! One, two…receive!”
Mamako and Hahako swung their Terra di Madres together.
The sand on the beach gathered, forming a giant fist that punched the superheated ball back onto the other court.
“Dammit! Well, if that’s how you wanna play…”
“We’ll do iiit! We’ll go all the waaay! Arghhhhh!”
The Libere team used the power of wind to attack!
“Ready, Hahako?”
“Yes. One, two…receive!”
To avoid the sand getting blown away, Mamako and Hahako hardened it with water, punching into the wind!
Such force! The rally wouldn’t end!
Shiraaase was relaxing in the ref chair sipping tropical juice, but even she was getting slightly worked up inside.
“This is the most exciting beach volleyball match I’ve ever seen. Isn’t it wonderful? Don’t you agree, Wise? Medhi?”
“Uh…does this still count as beach volleyball?”
“It is still taking place on a beach, at least. So…maybe it half counts?”
“Mama! Hahako! Hang in there!”
The crowd was going wild. “Amazing!” “Keep it up!” “So many jiggles every—oof!” Some especially worked up men were being casually disposed of by smiling women, but the match itself was clearly a big success.
And finally, the moment arrived.
“I’ve had enough! Sorella! Full-power set…no, just slam it home and end this thing!”
“Okaaaay! …Spara la magia per mirare… Gruppo di Meteoriti!”
The ball bounded off Amante’s reflection, flying high into the air above, out of sight…
And then the atmosphere shook as meteor after meteor plummeted down.
“Everything falling is a ball! We’re ending this right now!”
“If we’re counting all of those as balls…that means…”
“We can ignore anything that isn’t going to land in the court, and it’ll count as Out.”
“Er…waaaait?”
Anything that landed out of bounds counted as a point for Mamako and Hahako. “…Sorella.” “Ooooopsie?” Sorella tried to cutely laugh her way out of it but it was too late to stop the meteor attack.
One, two, three, four. Meteor after meteor hit the water and the beach. “Retreat!” “Take cover!” “Whoaaa!” The first wave of meteors coffinized Shiraaase, and the girls quickly used her coffin for cover and scurried away.
Five, six, seven, eight. The beastkin crowd used their advanced physical abilities to scatter like baby spiders in all directions.
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve. A dozen meteor balls had already fallen out of bounds. Mamako and Hahako had scored twelve points in a row. With the previous points, their score was now fourteen.
“Match point. I do feel a little bad, but it’s not good to spoil children when they’re acting naughty, is it, Mamako?”
“I agree. And we have bottoms to avenge, so we must be strict here.”
The hand of sand made with mom power lifted the two of them higher and higher.
The last meteor was falling directly toward their side of the court, and just before it passed them:
““One, two… Tut, tut!””
With hands on hips, and index fingers raised, the dual mom main cannons fired!
The light of a motherly scolding hit the meteor and changed the angle of descent, aiming it at the Libere court.
“I-i-it’s coming right at uuuus?! Amante, pleeeease?!”
“Got it! My Reflection skill can… Uh, wait, I just remembered, that Tut didn’t count as an attack, which means…”
Her Reflection skill wouldn’t work on it.
“Ummm…theeen…good luck with iiiit, Amanteee! Byeeee!”
“Hey! Don’t run away! Augh!”
As Sorella turned to run, Amante grabbed her, and they both fell face-first in the sand.
And the meteors landed right on their butts.
““N-noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!””
Whoom. Direct hit. Kicking up massive quantities of sand and ocean spray all around.
Amante and Sorella were at the center of the crater, buried beneath the meteor…their fates unclear.
The moms had amassed fifteen points. The beach volleyball (?) match had ended in Mamako and Hahako’s victory. The crowd (now at a considerable distance) let out a roar of celebration.
The two waved back…but then Mamako lost her balance. Hahako quickly caught her.
“Mamako, you’re exhausted.”
“You’re right… It’s so hard to use mom power on this island. Even with the swords in hand, the power just doesn’t flow right… It’s quite tiring.”
“I couldn’t sense a thing. But perhaps that just means I’m still not a real mom. What a pity. Either way, Mamako, you’ve got to rest. Don’t strain yourself! You should replenish your Masato supply if you can.”
“I’d love to… Let’s try that. I swear I heard his voice a moment ago… I wonder where he went?”
Mamako turned to look and glimpsed a face in the crowd that quickly vanished out of sight.
“Whew, that was a close one… For her to pick me out of the crowd at that distance…Mom’s son sensors are nuts.”
He’d been at the very back of the crowd, where they’d retreated from the beach volleyball match. Dozens of yards away. Yet, she’d almost found him.
He had ducked down in time and, keeping his head low, backed into the jungle. With all this brush between them, she’d never spot him now.
“Looked like they already had Porta’s bag back…so our problems are over.”
Everything was resolved.
All without Masato’s involvement.
“They could at least have said something to me before they got started… Sniff…”
No point dwelling on it. It wasn’t like they had meant to leave him out. He hadn’t kept his promise to his mother and hadn’t been there when they got going. That was all there was to it.
Still.
“…Even if I had been there, I bet I wouldn’t have had the chance to even do anything.”
Masato had tried to push forward when Mamako had fallen over and was in real danger. But before he even took a single step, the crisis was averted.
All there was left for him to do was watch helplessly as Mamako battled her own fatigue, swinging the swords around, she and Hahako scoring an overwhelming victory.
There was literally nothing Masato could have done.
“Mom’s actions solve everything. I just yell from the sidelines. That’s how it always goes. I know! It never changes. So…”
He’d gotten used to it.
He tried to compartmentalize it like always, but it wasn’t working. His head was spinning.
He’d felt frustrated with Mamako any number of times, but it felt different this time.
This irritation was directed inward.
“…This sucks.”
The crowd was cheering for Mamako. The louder the cheers got, the worse Masato felt.
The fact that all he could do was watch was humiliating.
“I’m the hero chosen by the heavens! I’m not just anybody. In theory anyway.”
He closed his eyes, and reached his hands to the sky, praying. Let the power of the hero of the heavens bring a great storm!
Then he looked up into the sky: It was blue, without a single cloud to be seen.
Irritatingly great weather. It was pissing him off.
“Yeah, yeah, I know! That’s right. That’s the truth. This is who I am. I can’t do what Mom does. But…!”
Masato let out a long breath and broke into a run, turning his back on the beach and the crowds, heading deeper into the jungle.
He picked up a random stick as he went, moving faster and faster.
Roaring aloud, as if trying to convince himself.
“At this rate, things’ll never change! I’m gonna be stuck to her forever! Even if we’re apart, we’re still family! The bond between us can never be severed, and a life spent in the shadow of the overwhelming force next to me will never end! Unless I do something!”
But what?
“I have to change! No matter what it takes, I have to obtain a power greater than Mom’s! I have to change my world! And to do that…!”
He had to train. That was the only way. Instead of sulking, he needed to be patient and take things step-by-step. It was the only way forward that he could think of.
Masato swung, attacking the leaves in his way. “Rah!” His stick slammed home! He defeated the leaf!
“Yeah! The hero Masato leveled up! His sword skills leveled up, too!”
That’s how it felt, anyway.
A tree branch was right in front of him, about to hit his face. “Not happening!” An attack that obvious would never hit him! He quickly twisted his body, avoiding the blow!
“Yeah! The hero Masato leveled up! His evasion went up a lot!”
In his mind, at least.
But feelings were important.
“All right, all right! I’m training! I’m getting stronger! Yeaaaah!”
Game objects contained no XP! All he was doing was trashing the jungle! But that didn’t matter.
The feeling of wanting to get stronger was making this boy stronger!
Then.
“Mm? Something here… Oh, a monster!”
Thrashing through the brush, he’d stumbled across a man-sized horned frog. “Ribbit? Ribbiiiiiit!” It saw him, too. Its mouth opened, and its tongue snapped out like it was taking a quick, threatening jab at him.
Their battle began.
“It’s much smaller than the last one… This one’s weak…much like I am now… So I just have to beat you and aim for greater heights! Come at me, frog!”
“Ribbiiiiit!”
Stick vs tongue. Neither made an attempt to defend! They just rained blows upon each other.
Masato attacked! “Yah!” “Ribbit?!” The horned frog took 1× damage! The horned frog attacked! “Ribbit!” “Ow!” Masato took 1× damage!
Masato attacked! 1× damage! The horned frog attacked! 1× damage! Masato’s attack: 1. Horned frog’s attack: 1. Masato: 1. Horned frog: 1. Masato1 HornedF1 Masa1 Horn1 MaHoMahomaho…
Please wait for the battle to conclude.
But then…
“Guess I oughta step in here, sonny.”
A cute, dazed-sounding voice. Tribal leather clothing. A small shadow running toward him.
No mistaking his kindred spirit anywhere.
“Fratello… Hey, wait, I don’t need your help!”
“I ain’t offerin’ help. I’m stealin’ your prey.”
Yet, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Masato, ready for battle.
“You can’t admit it, huh? Fine. Then let’s say whoever finishes this thing off wins.”
“You got it, sonny… Wait just one darn second. Something strange’s goin’ on…”
The horned frog moved. All four limbs planted firmly, it reared back.
“Ribbit ribbit! Croak croak! Crooooak!”
A call? Or a song? A moment later…
…a huge round thing fell from the sky over the jungle.
“What the…? Sonny, is that…?”
“Don’t gawk, dodge! Argh!”
Masato grabbed Fratello and ran for it. He was really light. And smelled good. More importantly…
There was a thud that shook the earth. A truly giant horned frog had landed, much bigger than the one he’d been fighting. “RIBBIIIIT!” “Mamaribbit!” The normal-sized horned frog hopped up on the giant one’s head and looked down at it proudly.
“Mamaribbit? Did it call for its mom?”
“That there toad saw it was at a two-to-one disadvantage and went cryin’ to mommy. Downright pathetic!”
“I’ll say. Who calls in their mom? It’s a child’s mission to get stronger than their mother, no matter what it takes! You need to claim victory with your own hands!”
“Whoa… Ya sure got a way with words, sonny. That’s exactly right. You’re a real man. A manly man. Badass.”
“Thanks, thanks. I’m a badass manly man.”
Fratello’s bleary eyes were wide open. There were sparkles in them. Masato grew bashful.
But this was no time to goof around.
“Now what…? Anything that big’s gotta be strong. And have a lot more endurance than the one I was fighting… We might need a plan.”
“Right, I’ll attack! Mahhhhhh!” Rumble.
“Ah! Hey, stop that! If you use that move, I won’t get to—”
Too late.
Fratello finished charging, ran forward, and struck!
“Mah!”
“Rib—?!”
His ultimate straight punch hit the mother frog in the gut…
…and, like an explosion, her bulk went flying. Knocking over trees in her wake, kicking up a swirl of leaves, heading toward the horizon—she was gone in the blink of an eye.
It left only a giant hole in the jungle and Masato on his knees.
“I still didn’t get to do anything… Argh…”
“Early bird gets the worm. Don’t blame me. So, sonny. I been thinking.”
“…What?”
“I owe ya one, so…what say I teach you this power I got?”
His dazed eyes were staring up at Masato. He seemed a little excited.
“Ya said it yourself. Get stronger than your mother, no matter what it takes. That there sounded like your heart’s deepest desire.”
“Uh, yeah…that’s right. That is my heart’s deepest desire.”
“Thought so. Truth is, that’s exactly what my power’s designed to do. So if ya want it, I’d be tickled to teach you.”
“…You mean that?”
“I do. I’ve really taken a shine to ya, sonny. Your manliness, your goals, everything about you. So…”
Fratello suddenly threw a punch at Masato’s face. “Whoa!” Masato caught the blow with his palm.
“I wanna fight ya once you’re even stronger. That’s my number one goal now, sonny!”
“And for the best possible face-off, you show your foe some humanity. You’re a peculiar man, Fratello.”
“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”
Masato didn’t hesitate.
He yearned for power.
“All right. If you insist, I’d be glad to learn your power. But don’t come crying to me if I end up even stronger than you.”
“Humph. You sure got a mouth on ya, but that’s what makes it fun. Let’s get trainin’…”
But before Fratello could proceed…
“…Arghhh, once those two team uuuup, we can’t wiiiin!”
“…Strategic retreat! Back to the lair to form a new plan!”
…there came what sounded like voices from far overhead. A square shadow passed over them.
“Uh, was that…?”
“They screwed up again? Good grief… Sorry, sonny. Urgent business just came up. I gotta go.”
“Er…w-wait! I haven’t learned your power yet!”
“I promise I’ll teach ya tomorrow! Meet me here once the sun rises! That’s a man-to-man promise!”
Fratello ran off through the hole he’d carved in the jungle. Then he turned back. “Promise!” he called, waving. Then he was gone.
“A man-to-man promise, huh? All right, then. I’ll believe you.”
Masato’s new power had been postponed.
Night fell. The party was staying in the jungle cottage this time. But before bed…
…they’d dug a pit in the ground next to the building, shaping the tub with rocks and filling it with water.
In the center of this bath stood two Terra di Madres calling up the earth’s heat.
In no time at all, they had a natural jungle hot spring.
And the heroes of the day were bathing in it.
“Well, as a mother myself, I certainly won’t hesitate to accept the blessings provided by mom power.”
Shiraaase had been the first to enter the water. Wearing a towel in the water was bad manners. She’d discarded hers immediately.
In the jungle night was the beautiful body of a working mother on full display. Round breasts like full moons. Slim, tight waist. Limbs as slick as vines. Shiraaase’s body was beyond reproach.
Second in was Porta.
“Eep…I’m a little worried, but here goes! Hyah!”
With her bag firmly tied to her head, she splashed on in. “Eeeek! It stings!” Her arms and legs were a little sunburned after all that time in a swimsuit, so the heat of the water stung a little, but she got used to it soon enough and was smiling again.
But who would be the next to join them?
“I’d…like to take a bath, but…there’s no way. It would kill me.”
“I, too, will focus on staying cool. For the sake of my future.”
Wise and Medhi elected to remain on the edge of the bath.
They had buckets of cold water and were soaking their behinds in them. These minibaths were a perfect fit for backsides still swollen from the ass-destroying spikes. “Fits a little too well…” “We will be able to get out afterward, right?” Like a glove.
Shiraaase gave them a sidelong glance, a faint smile on her lips.
“The battle was not without its casualties, but we did recover Porta’s bag. I’m relieved.”
“Thanks to your well-timed betrayal, everything went smoothly.”
“To fool your enemies, fool your allies. And laugh about it later.”
“You fool your allies by default, so this is hardly anything new.”
“I sense a little spite in that reply! Thank you very much. Now, if you don’t mind my talking to myself a bit here—this will be a monologue worth listening to.”
“Don’t let her trick you! Medhi, Porta, cover your ears!”
“If you listen, you’ll end up getting mixed up in something!”
“O-okay! I’ll be careful!”
The girls all placed their hands over their ears.
So Shiraaase just spoke louder, making sure they could hear her.
“MMMMMORPG (Working Title)…a game run with the goal of developing bonds between parent and child. There is an organization that stands against that goal, carrying out rebellious actions designed to plunge parent-child relationships into chaos—and even eliminate all mothers from the world.”
“The Libere Rebellion, right? Wait, I can’t hear you.”
“Management has been conducting a series of investigations designed to uncover the scope of this organization and eliminate them once and for all. And at last, we’ve done it.”
“Done what? Not that I can hear you, but be more specific.”
Shiraaase nodded.
“I can proudly infooorm you that we’ve identified the mastermind behind all of these incidents. And we’ve located the hideout from whence the Four Heavenly Kings conduct their operations.”
Everyone’s eyes shot open and their hands left their ears.
This infooormation was far too important to let go unheard. They had to listen.
“The mastermind? Er, hang on…wait, wait. You know who gave my mom those weird powers?!”
“The one who sent my mother that weird staff that drove her crazy, messed me up, and nearly destroyed our relationship?! You know who they are?!”
“Th-that’s incredible news! It’s like you solved the case!”
“Yes, it is… We’ve figured it all out.”
Shiraaase looked right at Porta, almost smiling.
But she quickly resumed her briefing. “We have all the pieces in place to take action. Management has created a plan to eliminate the Libere Rebellion and will soon set it in motion.”
“You’re already that far?!” cried Wise. “What’s the plan?!”
“First, we destroy their lair. The reason I approached you this time is to ask for your help with that. After all, you’re the experts in fighting the Heavenly Kings, and you possess inarguable battle prowess. Yes…what we need most is the cooperation of the hero Masato!”
Masato was the key!
“We need him! Our reliable leader, Masato!”
“Power so great he can even cleave the sky in two! Masato is absolutely necessary!”
“Masato is amazing! We really need Masato!”
“That’s right. With Masato in the lead and all of you helping, we’ll have you attack the Rebellion lair. And the target of that assault is on this very island.”
“What, seriously? This island? They made their lair in this world?”
“We believe this was done to pull the wool over management’s eyes. There are regular connection tests being done on all regional servers, whether they’re ready for testing or not. It seems the Heavenly Kings have been using those to move around in secret. This is why we combed Catharn over without ever locating them. They got us good.”
“But you’ve finally found them.”
“There’s some cunning trickery afoot, however, and the actual means of accessing the lair is still a mystery… That said, I’ve taken your accidental landing on this island as guidance from the heavens. And when you think of heaven…”
You think of the hero chosen by the heavens! Of course!
“The answer is obviously Masato!”
“Masato guided us here!”
“Masato’s amazing!”
“He is! This is all thanks to Masato! Now that you have Porta’s bag back and all your equipment, it’s time for him to rise! Let Masato sound the call!”
“We must follow Masato!”
“All hail Masato!”
“I’m with Masato!”
His moment had arrived!
And yet…
“…He’s still not taking the bait?”
Shiraaase sighed. Everyone looked in the same direction—Wise and Medhi both glaring, Porta with her eyes full of sparkles.
All four of them were staring at the shower area next to the baths.
“Sigh… Such bliss… I’ve never been so happy…”
He was seated resolutely on a bathhouse stool.
“Hee-hee! Well, do you have an itch anywhere? Tell me if you do!”
Unavoidable contact with large mom boobs pressing against his right arm as she shampooed his head.
“I had no idea washing a child’s back was such a source of joy. This is a real education. Masato, if there’s anywhere else you’d like me to wash, just say the word!”
And boobs every bit as large as his own mother’s also unavoidably pressing against his left arm as she washed his back.
“Sigh… Man, this is the best…”
There was Masato, oblivious to the glares from all around, being thoroughly scrubbed by Mamako and Hahako at once. The one and only Masato.
“Hee-hee. What’s gotten into you tonight, Ma-kun? You usually get so mad and yell at me to stop!”
“Oh well…part of me still feels that way, but… Siiigh… I’m just so blissed-out that I don’t see the point in arguing…”
“I’m glad you’re happy, Masato. Did something good happen?”
“Something did! Something totally did. Oh, right…Mom, Hahako, there’s something I should tell you both.”
““Oh? What is it?””
“I’m gonna go out early tomorrow morning. Not sure when I’ll be back…but I should be back before evening anyway.”
“You’re going out? You mean… Oh, are you…?”
“Wait, wait, Mamako. I want to hone my motherly instincts. Let me say it.”
Hahako took a long look at the grin on Masato’s face. Then it came to her.
“…I know! You’ve got a date.”
“Uh, n-no… But, well…I am meeting someone, so…”
“Oh my! So that is a date! Ma-kun, won’t you tell Mommy what this person’s like?”
“Mamako, children don’t like it if you ask that. My data indicates as much.”
“Yeah, Mom. I definitely don’t like that. It if all goes well, I’ll be happy to show off later. Wait until then, okay?”
“R-right… Hmm… Still, I can’t help but worry…”
“Mamako, at times like this, I believe all a mother has to do is make sure their child is clean as a whistle and send them out with a smile. My data says so.”
“Hmm…yes, you’re right. That’s what I’ll do.”
They moved on from his head and back, washing his arms, legs, between Masato’s legs—“Okay, cut that out!”—every bit of him.
Savoring the bliss, he stared up at the sky. Oh, a shooting star.
“Tomorrow…tomorrow I will obtain power…the power I’ve been longing for!”
He paid no attention to the three sets of baleful eyes boring into his very being.
Masato was on cloud nine as he waited for what tomorrow would bring him.
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