Editing HEAVY OBJECT:Volume11 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

The Cape of Good Hope was the southern tip of Africa.

It was hard to tell on the standard Mercator projection maps, but that area was a quick southward trip over the ocean away from the South Pole. Penguins walked through the streets, so it was not the sweaty land of the blazing sun that people normally pictured when they thought of Africa. Latitude-wise, it was about the same as the Oceanian continent, but it looked more like the kind of rough waves, leaden skies, and rocky land that suited a traditional Island Nation enka song. In terms of the North Wind and the Sun, the north wind was going all out, so no one would ever think of trading their uniform for a swimsuit.

Or so one would have thought.

“Ahhh. It’s so hot in here. I know you’re trying to be hospitable, but don’t you have the heat cranked up too high?”

“Blue Rose, the Island Nation has a saying: oden for the air conditioner and ice cream for the kotatsu. This is truly the best.”

Just one of the small aircraft carrier’s rooms had all its windows fogged up.

In that sweltering heat, Frolaytia Capistrano was providing a mistaken sort of welcome and Azureyfear Winchell was accepting that mistaken sort of welcome. They had traded their uniform or dress for swimsuits and were unnecessarily sweaty.

The plastic pool that Black Uniform Meena Stinger had secretly used in the Rio Grande District was filled with water and the two of them sat in chairs with their seductive feet soaking in the pool. They were clenching and unclenching their toes and topping it all off by sucking on vanilla popsicles.

Quenser had been called here for some reason and he had been struck by a thick wall of feminine aroma the instant he opened the door.

He had reflexively raised his voice.

“You people are awful!! You damn bourgeois are killing the earth in about every way possible!!”

“So you’re finally here, commoner. Come closer. Yes, close enough to touch me.”

“Woof woof!”

“Heh heh heh. How wonderfully obedient. Do you like ladies’ swimsuits that much?”

Blue must have been her favorite color because Azureyfear smiled at Quenser in a blue bikini that glittered like a tropical butterfly.

Frolaytia pulled her popsicle from her mouth and pointed it at the student.

“I may not be one to talk, but she is a powerful noble. And the type who can actually use the Winchell family’s authority. Don’t screw this up.”

“Um, can I ask why you’re calling for me so often today?”

“I’ve taken a liking to you,” said the young lady in a blue swimsuit. “Yes, this visit is something of a performance, but if I’m going to be shown around by someone, I’d like it to be someone I have some slight connection to. I heard what you did. You fought well against those Black Uniforms involved in the drug war in the Rio Grande District.”

“Eh? But that was-…”

Confused, Quenser spoke on reflex, but then a sweet flavor filled his mouth.

Azureyfear had stuck the tip of her popsicle in his mouth.

While he was unable to speak, vanilla-flavored lips moved from extreme close range.

They mouthed the word “no”.

“…”

“Commoner, if you are to be my guide, I would like to know what kind of person you are. As a test, find an online video that can amuse me.”

“Um, eh? Okay, but…”

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“Look at this cleavage. I’ll even squeeze my breasts together and give you an upturned look. Do you also want me to put the popsicle in my mouth and faffefaafafhfhefh?”

“Woof woof woof woof!!”

There seemed to be a difference in understanding concerning the previous incident, but the idiot decided to set those issues aside and take advantage of this opportunity.

He began his first mission with his handheld device in hand.

“Wh-what about a kitten chasing a laser pointer on the wall?”

“Old hat.”

“This is the silver snowscape from the peak of Mont Blanc.”

“What’s the point if you don’t conquer the mountain yourself? I climb Mont Blanc twice a year. You need physical strength and knowledge of nature to hunt well, after all.”

“Kh!! …Since it’s come to this, I’ll break out this video showing a breakdown of a chronometer. Look at all these gears! It’s controlled by springs and gears instead of electronics, so just think of the accuracy needed in the mechanic’s fingertips to…pant, pant…make this a reality…uuhhhh!!”

“Calm down, tech nerd. Are you one of those people that would prefer I step on them?”

Quenser thought the exasperated look in Azureyfear’s eyes would crush his soul. Out of ideas, his fingertip accidentally touched the banner for trending news near the search box.

The small screen filled with a greasy middle-aged man’s face. A stand was covered in microphones and cameras flashed like machinegun fire. A female newscaster spoke over the footage of some sort of press conference.

“As a royal and a member of the royal council, First Prince Flag Eggnog’s words gather international attention. This was a portion of the standard press conference after the council session ended the other day.”

“As I have been saying, drug wars only exist in spy movies. Besides, this nonsense is likely only being spread by the weak-willed youth. The addicts who cannot stop abusing Colorful Vanilla must be clinging to conspiracy theories that blame their problems on the military and government.”

“Many groups and individuals have fiercely opposed this statement, including the Legitimacy Kingdom Academics of General Medicine and the White Knights of Women’s Rights. They claim the prince’s statement is inconsistent with the medical facts of Colorful Vanilla’s spread and addiction and they ask whether he is forgetting about the victims who have been forced to use these illegal drugs due to their surroundings. These groups are filling the road in front of the safe country royal palace with various protest signs in hand.”

“If you can say those insane things with a straight face, we can’t let you lead our country!!”

“The royal family needs to kick that bastard out right away!!”

“I’m bored, so I want to cause a scene!!”

“Hooray!!”

Quenser found the festival of anger to be a horrifying scene.

“French fries! Does anyone need some French fries!? Damn I’m going to make a killing out here!!”

“Wait, you idiot! Put the mustard mayonnaise on your own fries! Ahhh! They’re absolutely covered!!”

He doubted any of the news videos could move the heart of a bored noble girl, but…

“Heh heh heh. Ah ha ha!!”

“You’re completely carefree!? I know they say teenage girls find anything funny, but really!?”

“No, no, no. Quenser, you have quite the sense of humor. To nobles like us, the misfortune of others is like the most exquisite honey. Isn’t that right, Major Capistrano?”

“Ahem… I would prefer not to answer that.”

Frolaytia cleared her throat to hold in the laughter, so this was apparently not just Azureyfear’s personal tastes. It did not really make sense to Commoner Quenser.

“Sigh. It must be tough being a royal. He was definitely careless, but any man his age probably says stuff like that with a mug of beer in hand.”

“This is ''noblesse oblige''. Authority brings responsibility. The greater authority of a noble or royal brings just as great responsibility with it. If a royal acts like a gossiping commoner at a press conference, it’s obvious what will happen.”

At any rate, he had cleared his first mission of amusing her. In her blue bikini that glittered like a tropical butterfly, Azureyfear slowly lifted her small butt from her chair.

“Major Capistrano, may I borrow him for a moment?”

“Yes. But…ehhh!? You’re going out dressed like that!?”

“I have completely boiled, so I could stand to feel the chilly wind for a bit. Quenser, bring that bath towel with you.”

With that said, she really did move to the heater-filled room’s door in her swimsuit. Quenser looked back and forth between Azureyfear and Frolaytia, but his commander only shrugged in her swimsuit. She was apparently ordering him to obey the selfish noble girl.

When they left the room, Quenser was a little chilly even in his uniform.

Much like after leaving a sauna, Azureyfear looked comfortable even in her blue bikini. She raised her hands, bent backwards, and let the chilly air wash over all of her skin.

Quenser asked the main question on his mind.

“Um, about before…”

“Oh, you mean in the sunflower field?”

She did not seem to care much.

She even shrugged while mentioning the sniping attack on the Blue Uniforms at the desert oasis.

“That is simple. The Winchell family is not permitted to hunt humans.”

“No one is!!”

The idiot leaned forward without thinking and the noble girl’s cleavage filled his vision.

She was incredibly cute, but he was not sure what to do when she had the same blood as Heivia. Or rather, that guy’s unwelcome face flashed through his mind and he could not concentrate.

“So it would be convenient if you took the credit for those kills as you were the one to pick up a Capitalist Corporations gun. What must be done and one’s reputation are very different things, especially in noble society. Well, try not to think about it too much, commoner. I suggest you take the credit for saving your unit. More importantly…”

Azureyfear rotated her raised arms behind her back, bent her hips forward, and peered up at him from below.

“I would like to hear about my brother. You are closer to him than anyone, aren’t you?”

“…So that’s it.”

“You look like you want to know why I would not meet him directly when we are brother and sister. I can almost sense the warm image commoners have of family. …But that concept is meaningless among nobles who are constantly in conflict with their own flesh and blood.”

“But if you want to know about it, you must not be completely divided.”

“I can’t tell you how he feels about it, though. Besides, he is something of a heretic when it comes to the Winchell family. When someone is hated by their surroundings, they will in turn hate their surroundings. It’s a sort of defensive measure.”

“Well…I’ll admit he isn’t your stereotypical noble.”

Quenser did not quite understand and Azureyfear laughed. She seemed to like that he could not imagine what it was like to be in conflict with his own flesh and blood.

It was the proof that he had a truly happy relationship with his family.

“Quenser, my bath towel.”

“So it was only a short luxury, huh?”

He held it out and she draped it over her shoulders like a cape to keep some of her warmth.

“Then again, Heivia’s Heivia. It would be heard to find something that’s different from normal. In fact, I can’t imagine his condition would change much even if he ate a rotten egg he found on the side of the road.”

“Oh, my. He must really be spreading his wings here.”

Quenser wondered if the boy had been different in his safe country mansion, but he had difficulty picturing Heivia Winchell during peacetime.

“Is he receiving letters or telegrams with any frequency?”

“I’m not some kind of Echelon Quenser who monitors all of his communications, but he gets calls and emails. It’s monitored by the military server, but everyone here at least plays an online golf game.”

Then Quenser remembered something.

“But I do see him messing with his handheld device a lot lately.”

“My.”

“I asked if he was pretending to have phone sex, but he denied it. I wonder if he was telling the truth.”

“My, my!!”

Azureyfear elegantly brought a hand to her mouth and her eyes sparkled for some reason.

She may have just had too much time on her hands.

“Then he must have a hotline to the Vanderbilt family after all… No, there is no reason to let this get to me… I already knew he had a relationship with our sworn enemy… That is just the kind of person he is…”

“?”

Quenser tilted his head as the noble girl faced the wall and muttered something under her breath.

Then an irregular tremor ran down her spine. She rubbed together her pale thighs, fully wrapped the bath towel around her body, and glanced awkwardly toward Quenser.

“I have cooled down a fair bit. Thank you for the amusing chat, commoner. I need to visit the powder room, so return to your normal post.”

“So nobles really call it the powder room…”

“Do not even think about asking too much about this.”