"Even if you put it that way..." Haruko said, feeling slightly moved.
To be honest, she didn't find the situation strange anymore; it was just a bit sudden. Since she hadn't known about Maria's feelings before, she was naturally surprised when the truth came out.
"Lady Maria is right. There's nothing to be shocked about. Who could blame anyone for falling for the Young Master? She really is a wonderful person," Haruko added. Once she thought it through, the confusion vanished.
"Right? But Yamato herself doesn't seem to have much self-awareness, so we should just act naturally," Maria said, playfully tapping Haruko's forehead with her finger. She knew very well that Haruko's own attitude toward Yamato was quite special, even if the girl hadn't fully realized it yet.
"Mhm, I understand," Haruko nodded, finally beginning to grasp the dynamic.
"Hey, Maria! Haruko! What are you two standing there for? Catch up!" Yamato's voice echoed from down the hall. Maria and Haruko shared a quick smile before hurrying to follow her.
When evening rolled around, Yamato wanted to tease Haruko again, so she brought up the "punishment" from earlier that day.
"Sure," Haruko replied simply.
Yamato had expected Haruko to turn red and refuse out of embarrassment. Instead, Haruko was perfectly calm and didn't object at all. Yamato blinked, looking at her assistant with suspicion. "Why does this feel a bit weird? Haruko, you actually didn't refuse."
Hearing this, Haruko immediately thought of Maria's earlier comment—the Young Master really lacked self-awareness.
"Did you want me to refuse, Young Master?" Haruko asked, tilting her head.
"Of course not! I've been looking forward to it. Come on, go warm the bed for me," Yamato said, acting impatient. She still didn't believe Haruko could remain this composed for long.
However, Haruko stayed completely calm, moving about as if she hadn't heard anything scandalous at all.
"Maria, why does Haruko feel a bit off today?" Yamato turned to Maria for answers. Haruko definitely hadn't been this collected in the afternoon. How did she change so much by the time the sun went down?
"I'm not 'off.' It's just that you're too suspicious, Young Master," Haruko explained. She had simply decided not to let the teasing get to her anymore, yet now Yamato was the one acting like something was wrong.
"Hehe, Haruko has just figured things out. You're the one making a fuss over nothing, Yamato," Maria laughed, enjoying the role reversal.
"Is that so? I see. I was wondering why Haruko was so calm and not embarrassed at all," Yamato realized, nodding to herself. Then, she threw an arm around Haruko's shoulders. "Aww, Haruko isn't getting embarrassed anymore? That's such a pity."
"Young Master, you were intentionally teasing me before, weren't you?" Haruko asked, giving her a side-eye.
"Uh... well, isn't it because Haruko is so cute when she's embarrassed? I just couldn't help myself. You won't blame me, right?" Yamato gave a cheeky, toothy grin.
Haruko stared at Yamato for a few seconds before letting out a soft sigh. "You really are mischievous, Young Master."
"Mischievous? I wouldn't call it that. It's just a little joke between friends, don't mind it," Yamato laughed, her energy infectious as always. Haruko just blinked, wondering how anyone could possibly stay mad at her.
"Alright, alright, we're sleeping together tonight. It's proof of our good relationship. Let bygones be bygones," Yamato said, striking while the iron was hot.
"Proof of a good relationship?" Haruko was puzzled.
"Exactly. Whether the bond between girls is good or not depends on whether they sleep together. If they do, they must have a very good relationship—best friends, besties!" Yamato declared with absolute certainty. Although she hadn't experienced much of this in her previous life, she had heard plenty of girls talking about it. You don't need to be an expert to know how the world works.
"Really? Where did you hear that from, Young Master?" Haruko countered.
Yamato was momentarily stunned by the question. "That's obviously... I just know it! Why would I need to hear it from others? Aren't girls all like that?" She certainly wasn't going to admit she'd picked it up from observations in a past life.
"When did you learn to lie, Young Master?" Haruko asked. She hadn't expected her casual question to catch Yamato off guard, and she found the sight of a flustered Yamato quite funny. With Yamato's manly style, how could she possibly understand the intricacies of girlhood? She must have read it in a book somewhere.
"Where did I lie?" Yamato huffed, refusing to admit she'd been exposed.
"Haha! Yamato, do you think of yourself as more of a man or a woman?" Maria chimed in with a laugh.
Yamato rolled her eyes. "I know what you're getting at. Is being a tomboy not okay?" Her situation was unique; saying she was strictly a man or a woman didn't feel quite right.
"Pfft... Yamato, you really do have a lot of self-awareness after all!" Maria and Haruko burst out laughing. They hadn't expected such an honest and unexpected answer.
"Of course. Having self-awareness is a virtue. Alright, enough talk, let's go to bed. Maria, you come too. It'll be fun," Yamato said, inviting Maria along as well.
"Sure," Maria replied, genuinely interested.
However, when it actually came time to sleep, Yamato's actions left them both dumbfounded. She simply tossed off her outer layers, climbed into bed, and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She was clearly the type of person who could sleep through a buster call.
"Is there any difference between her and a man?" Maria and Haruko whispered, looking at each other and shaking their heads helplessly. Yamato was all talk; she didn't actually understand the romantic or social implications of what she was doing.
A few days later, Maria and Haruko came rushing toward Yamato, clutching a fresh copy of the newspaper.
"Young Master, something big has happened!" Haruko said, her voice urgent.
Seeing the two of them looking so serious, Yamato's curiosity was piqued. "What happened to make you react like this? Did my Idiot Old Man get captured by the Marines?" She paused, a grin forming. "If that's the case, I'll have to beat the drums and gongs in celebration. Of course, after the party, I'd probably have to go bail him out."
Maria and Haruko were speechless. Did she have to make her lack of filial piety so obvious? Besides, who could actually capture Kaido? Unless the entire elite force of Marineford was mobilized for a massive ambush, it was impossible.
"No, it's someone else. Lord Hana Fuda has been defeated," Haruko said.
"Hana Fuda? Oh, the father of Ulti and Page One, right? I remember he was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Isn't he stationed in the first half of the Grand Line? With his strength, how could he be defeated?" Yamato was genuinely surprised.
Hana Fuda was a notorious collector of Dinosaur-type Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits. Years ago, he had come to the New World to challenge Kaido. After being soundly defeated, he had actually become good friends with the Yonko. That was when he entrusted Ulti and Page One to Kaido's care. Furthermore, the Ancient Zoan fruits Hana Fuda had collected eventually ended up in Kaido's hands, which was the primary reason the Beasts Pirates had so many high-level Ancient Zoan ability users.
For a man of that caliber to fall, the person who defeated him must have a bounty far exceeding 100,000,000.