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Jura-Tempest Federation · Government Affairs Hall
Kagaya and the others watched the four figures crouched in the corner and couldn't quite hide their smiles.
Sakuya stood with her arms crossed, fixing the four tightly wrapped black-robed individuals with a stern look.
"Esteemed sirs. This is the third time this month."
"Shizu has made it very clear that she will absolutely not let any of you off this time."
"Please prepare yourselves accordingly."
At that, the four crouching figures looked up sharply. One of the female voices immediately spoke up.
"Sakuya! This has nothing to do with me at all! It was Kai-chan and the other two. I just, I only..."
Before she could finish, another black-robed figure cut in.
"Milim, don't go pinning this on others! You were clearly the one behind all of it! Sakuya, don't listen to her!"
"That's right, it's all Milim's fault!"
"Sorry, great niece. It's come to this, so you'll just have to take the fall!"
Milim stared at the three of them in pure disbelief.
"You all betrayed me!"
"You're the last one who should be saying that!" (x3)
Kaito and the other two shouted back in perfect unison.
"Esteemed sirs, please stop passing the blame around. None of you are getting out of this one. And please take those ridiculous things off."
Sakuya gave a calm wave of her hand, and the black robes were whisked away in an instant, revealing the four of them in full.
As you have probably already guessed, the four were Kaito, Rimuru, Milim, and Veldora.
Over the past month, these four had formed a new group, the Idle Four, an organization now famous throughout the entire Jura-Tempest Federation for its members' complete refusal to do anything productive.
"Sakuya, is there any chance at all of some leniency here?"
Kaito flashed his most winning smile. The three beside him nodded along frantically.
"I will relay Shizu's exact words: 'Sakuya, tell those four rascals to wait right there. This time I am absolutely not letting them off.'"
"So I'm afraid there is no way out."
Rimuru immediately broke into a brilliant grin, threw up a thumbs up with her right hand, and declared:
"No way out? There are still windows!"
Sakuya pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Not even I can cover for you this time, because Shizu is already on her way."
"Good luck, esteemed sirs."
The four of them went pale. It felt, very suddenly, as though the end had truly arrived.
"We're, we're not actually going to be killed this time, are we?!"
"This is all Veldora's fault! He just had to go to the Academy District to hand out manga! Now look what's happened!"
"Exactly! And why did you always have to hand out yuri manga specifically! You've gone and set that woman off!"
Veldora looked at the three of them in shock as the promotional activity that had been unanimously agreed upon by all four of them was now, somehow, entirely his idea.
Who said there were no traitors in the organization? The whole organization was nothing but traitors! Not a shred of loyalty among them!
Bang!
The door burst open. Shizu walked in with a gentle smile.
Her eyes swept across the hall, landed on the four crouching in the corner, and she made her way toward them with a perfectly calm expression.
Kaito and the others watched her approach. Her smile never wavered. And yet, somehow, all four of them could clearly see a dark, towering presence looming just behind her, watching them with unblinking focus.
Shizu came to stand before them. She looked down at them for a long, quiet moment, then finally spoke.
"Would any of you like to explain what these are?"
She reached into the front of her robe and pulled out several manga, holding them up for all to see.
The covers bore titles that left little to the imagination. "Big Sister Falls in Love with Me." "Loli Sister Loves to Cuddle."
"Um, well, those are..."
The four of them stammered and said nothing useful. Shizu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I see. Nothing to say."
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Rimuru suddenly found a burst of courage. She leapt to her feet and declared:
"I am the ruler! Whatever I do is forgiven!"
Shizu looked at her calmly and said in the softest voice:
"Oh my. It seems our great ruler is ready to start fulfilling her royal duties?"
"Th-th-th..."
Rimuru wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant and sat back down without another word.
But Shizu had not expected a second brave soul. Kaito stood up abruptly and shouted:
"I am the Regent! I..."
Shizu cut him off without changing her expression.
"Then, Regent, have you handled any important affairs today?"
"Th-this..."
Kaito sat back down.
Milim, crouching nearby, felt a sudden urge to stand up and say something.
Then she caught Shizu looking at her. Calm, gentle, eyes just slightly narrowed.
Every last scrap of courage she had drained away in an instant. She sat very still and looked very obedient.
As for Veldora, he had been wearing an expression of complete and total doom from the moment Shizu walked in.
"Since you have all done wrong, there must be consequences. Your punishment is to help clean the swimming pool in the Academy District for the next two days. And it had better be spotless, or else..."
"WHAT?!"
"The entire Academy District! We'll die out there!"
"I don't want to work!"
"Don't look at me. Don't look. Stop looking at me."
Shizu let her gaze pass slowly over each of the four.
"Does anyone have a complaint?"
All four of them shivered at once, then stood up in unison and snapped to attention.
"No, sir!" (x4)
"Good. Off you go."
"Yes, sir!" (x4)
Shizu watched the four dejected figures shuffle out the door and let out a quiet laugh. She turned to Sakuya beside her.
"Kai-chan and the others really are something else. Grown adults, acting like children."
Sakuya, in a rare moment, smiled.
"Are they not rather endearing for it?"
Kagaya and the others, who had been watching from the side with barely contained amusement, nodded.
"Truly. It's because of those four that the whole Jura-Tempest Federation has something to smile about every day. Everyone adores them."
"They cause mischief wherever they go, but somehow, that's exactly what makes people happy."
Shizu's expression softened.
"That's certainly true. The children in the Academy District really do love them very much."