Previous Chapter: Short Story Series 2, Part 1: A Hero from Fiction
Hagama Mansion study, Economic city of Maihark, Principality of Qua-Toyne
Commander Ine of the Maihark Defense Knights was summoned by the military general staff to visit the residence of Lord Hagama, one of the eastern lords in the Principality of Qua-Toyne and the head of Maihark’s city government. Entering the study, she exchanged greetings with Lord Hagama and then cut straight to the discussion.
“Actually, it has been decided to send ambassadors of goodwill to Japan in order to introduce to them our country’s culture and military. It was also decided among the nobility that a group of people visiting them on behalf of us will be formed. Since you are of noble birth and a young woman knight at that, will you consider joining?”
“Okay. Acknowledged.”
Lord Hagama supervised the banquet to which the JSDF were invited and even mingled with Lt. Gen. Ouchida Kazuki. At the time, he heard Ouchida speaking highly of Ine, so he purposefully went ahead to select her for the ambassador mission.
Unaware of this, Ine, on behalf of the Maihark Defense Knights and Keith, who was also of noble descent, were picked to go on the mission of goodwill to Japan.
Approx. 100km offshore in the waters north of the Principality of Qua-Toyne
A convoy of 20 sailing ships crosses the ocean. Japan had suggested they cover the transportation but the Principality also had its own pride. Politely declining the offer, they organized a convoy of military ships from their own coffers.
The visiting group consisted of 3 wyverns, 20 horses, and 100 foot soldiers. Since the Principality had no dragon carriers, the wyverns and horses that they were carrying were a considerable burden on their ships.
Standing on the uppermost deck illuminated by the evening sun, Ine was looking north.
“I wonder what sort of country it is…”
She heard that Japan was strong but she herself hasn’t exactly seen them in battle so she had no idea. Appearing like an illusion and yet certainly real, this was the country that had saved the principality of the hands of the devil Louria Kingdom… and the birthplace of Lt. Gen. Ouchida.
“Commander!”
“Huh?! Wha-what is it?”
As she was lost in her thoughts, Keith had appeared next to her.
“Please, please, please don’t use your pickup powers on that Japanese general anymore! You even fainted that one time at the banquet…”
“Wha-! T-that’s now how it was! T-that was…”
“It’s fine for you not to do it like that. Since Commander is already cute by default, if you just be a wee-bit nicer, there’d surely be someone out there who will marry you!”
“What are you saying!!!”
Turning his back on the now mad Ine, Keith laughed.
“This is so funny… There’s something in making fun of you, hahaha.”
Several days after entering Japan’s territorial waters, Coast Guard patrol boats flanked the convoy and started to guide them. Since they were military vessels, they headed for the Maritime Self-Defense Forces base closest to Tokyo, the naval base at Yokosuka.
Dawn, 2 weeks after leaving port
Ine looks at the unfolding view of landmasses and mountains from beyond the hazy horizon.
“Woah… What a sight!!”
Huge port facilities are spread out all along the coast. The enormous cranes that were being set up by Japanese private companies along the port of Maihark were a sight to behold but the naval base at Yokosuka wasn’t much of a comparison.
Military ships stronger and much more slender-looking than the patrol boats that guided us were anchored next to each other. Visible beyond them was a town lined with high-rise buildings, confirming that she had really come to a different country.
3 hours have passed since Ine and the others have landed. In the naval base at Yokosuka, a ceremony doubling as a cultural exchange event has started.
Since the base was open to the general public on the first day, many civilians have come to visit. Many of them were piqued by the novelty of the Qua-Toyne military with events such as mock hand-to-hand grappling between the soldiers and a fireworks presentation by the mages making use of their fireballs.
Meanwhile, Ine and Keith were thoughtlessly forced into versatile roles as mascots for the commemorative photo-taking due to their good looks. After exhausting a lifetime’s worth of forced smiles in a day, their faces remained tense up until they soaked themselves in the hotel’s public bath that night.
On the night of that same day, in the lobby of a Yokohama hotel
“Commander Ineee~!”
On her way to her room back from the public bath, Ine was stopped by the cringey voice of a woman.
“Oh! Is that you, Mei?”
Ine looked to her back and there stood Meily, the receptionist of the Maihark Defense Knights headquarters. Remembering that she had unexpectedly picked up Lt. Gen. Ouchida by imitating her, her face reddened.
“What’s wrong? Your face suddenly reddened!”
“Oh, ah! It’s nothing!”
She is also part of the goodwill ambassador group. It seems that she was picked as a public relations committee member for Japan, and she was highly sought after in places where Ine could never hope to be in. Meily says that, for some reason, she was randomly being called a cat person.
“Sooo, a Japanese man just told me that there’s a place nearby where we can eat sweet and delicious food! Why don’t you come with me, commander~?”
“Sweet and delicious food? There are places that are still open this late at night?”
“Uhhh, they are open all day, I heard~”
“All day… Those workers probably don’t get tired. Well, guess I’ll go too.”
The government had provided them Japanese money for use as on-site activity funds. While she convinced herself that she was simply experiencing Japan’s food culture, the two who had an appetite for sweets headed out for a nearby family restaurant.
A certain family restaurant, Yokohama
“Hmm!!! This is so good!!!”
“I know, right… Sooo goood~~”
A parfait was elegantly placed in front of the two. The moderate and top-notch quality of the sweetness of the fluffy part along with the indistinct sourness of the fresh fruits created an exquisite harmony.
“Who would’a thought that something this delicious existed in this world!!!”
Having eaten for the first time a food that was incredibly sweet, Ine had forgotten she was nobility and started to chow down on the parfait with her spoon.
“Waiteeer! Seconds please!!!”
Ine happily turns to face and loudly calls the waiter for seconds. It was at that moment when she saw the people standing behind their seats that she froze.
“Ah.”
“Oh? It’s been a while, Ine!”
It was a face that I could never forget: the face of Ouchida. Apparently, it seems that he is eating out with two of his subordinates.
“Ah-uhhhh… Long time no… see…”
“How’s Japan? I wasn’t able to even ask you.”
Seeing Ouchida smile made Ine blush and cover her face in embarrassment. Her lips were bright white from the cream plastered all over.
What the hell… I look so terrible right now…
“May I ask who could she be?”
One of the subordinates asked Ouchida.
“This is Ine of the Principality of Qua-Toyne’s Maihark Defense Knights.”
“Ohhh, so she’s the one you’ve been talking about! My gosh, what a beautiful lady!”
Ine’s heart greatly ached at the sight of the smiling men before her.
“If you may, I will see you later.”
“Ah, of course…”
Unable to keep up her dignified appearance, Ine felt dejected. Seeing this, Ouchida stopped and turned to talk to Ine.
“How long will you stay in Japan?”
“Uhh, about 3 weeks.”
“If I recall, the goodwill ambassador group is staying at the Princess Hotel. As a sort of thanks for taking me to that church a while back, will you let me guide you to some of Japan’s tourist attractions? If you have the time, that is…”
“A-ah! Yes! Of course!!”
Ine replies with sparkles in her eyes to which Ouchida happily nods and takes his leave. With cream still all over her lips, Ine absentmindedly stares at Ouchida like an innocent maiden.
“Co-commander?! Who was that handsome man just now?!”
Completely forgetting her usual laid-back tone, Meily scoots over the table towards Ine.
“That was Lt. Gen. Ouchida, the brave general who commanded the relief force sent to the Principality of Qua-Toyne.”
“Lt. Gen. Ouchida… That Ouchida who even as a foreigner, was given by our country the title of noble?! Commander, you’re so quick!!! And that church he was talking about… it’s the Diswall Church, right?! Isn’t that, like, a dating spot?!
And what you did just now… The face of a maiden who’s shy around men… What a tactic, commander!!! Hihihihi…”
Frightened by Meily’s feisty eyes, Ine drew back.
“I-it’s not like that!!! Not at all!!!”
Someday later, Ine and Ouchida were engraved in The Interesting History of the World (published by the Treasure Continent Company) as “The Couple That Crossed Worlds and Dated After Japan’s Transference”. In addition, Meily began to work full-time in Japan. It is said that Ine was fed up with being incessantly asked about how much she and Ouchida had progressed when he took her on a food trip.
Previous Chapter: Short Story Series 2, Part 1: A Hero from Fiction
Hagama Mansion study, Economic city of Maihark, Principality of Qua-Toyne
Commander Ine of the Maihark Defense Knights was summoned by the military general staff to visit the residence of Lord Hagama, one of the eastern lords in the Principality of Qua-Toyne and the head of Maihark’s city government. Entering the study, she exchanged greetings with Lord Hagama and then cut straight to the discussion.
“Actually, it has been decided to send ambassadors of goodwill to Japan in order to introduce to them our country’s culture and military. It was also decided among the nobility that a group of people visiting them on behalf of us will be formed. Since you are of noble birth and a young woman knight at that, will you consider joining?”
“Okay. Acknowledged.”
Lord Hagama supervised the banquet to which the JSDF were invited and even mingled with Lt. Gen. Ouchida Kazuki. At the time, he heard Ouchida speaking highly of Ine, so he purposefully went ahead to select her for the ambassador mission.
Unaware of this, Ine, on behalf of the Maihark Defense Knights and Keith, who was also of noble descent, were picked to go on the mission of goodwill to Japan.
Approx. 100km offshore in the waters north of the Principality of Qua-Toyne
A convoy of 20 sailing ships crosses the ocean. Japan had suggested they cover the transportation but the Principality also had its own pride. Politely declining the offer, they organized a convoy of military ships from their own coffers.
The visiting group consisted of 3 wyverns, 20 horses, and 100 foot soldiers. Since the Principality had no dragon carriers, the wyverns and horses that they were carrying were a considerable burden on their ships.
Standing on the uppermost deck illuminated by the evening sun, Ine was looking north.
“I wonder what sort of country it is…”
She heard that Japan was strong but she herself hasn’t exactly seen them in battle so she had no idea. Appearing like an illusion and yet certainly real, this was the country that had saved the principality of the hands of the devil Louria Kingdom… and the birthplace of Lt. Gen. Ouchida.
“Commander!”
“Huh?! Wha-what is it?”
As she was lost in her thoughts, Keith had appeared next to her.
“Please, please, please don’t use your pickup powers on that Japanese general anymore! You even fainted that one time at the banquet…”
“Wha-! T-that’s now how it was! T-that was…”
“It’s fine for you not to do it like that. Since Commander is already cute by default, if you just be a wee-bit nicer, there’d surely be someone out there who will marry you!”
“What are you saying!!!”
Turning his back on the now mad Ine, Keith laughed.
“This is so funny… There’s something in making fun of you, hahaha.”
Several days after entering Japan’s territorial waters, Coast Guard patrol boats flanked the convoy and started to guide them. Since they were military vessels, they headed for the Maritime Self-Defense Forces base closest to Tokyo, the naval base at Yokosuka.
Dawn, 2 weeks after leaving port
Ine looks at the unfolding view of landmasses and mountains from beyond the hazy horizon.
“Woah… What a sight!!”
Huge port facilities are spread out all along the coast. The enormous cranes that were being set up by Japanese private companies along the port of Maihark were a sight to behold but the naval base at Yokosuka wasn’t much of a comparison.
Military ships stronger and much more slender-looking than the patrol boats that guided us were anchored next to each other. Visible beyond them was a town lined with high-rise buildings, confirming that she had really come to a different country.
3 hours have passed since Ine and the others have landed. In the naval base at Yokosuka, a ceremony doubling as a cultural exchange event has started.
Since the base was open to the general public on the first day, many civilians have come to visit. Many of them were piqued by the novelty of the Qua-Toyne military with events such as mock hand-to-hand grappling between the soldiers and a fireworks presentation by the mages making use of their fireballs.
Meanwhile, Ine and Keith were thoughtlessly forced into versatile roles as mascots for the commemorative photo-taking due to their good looks. After exhausting a lifetime’s worth of forced smiles in a day, their faces remained tense up until they soaked themselves in the hotel’s public bath that night.
On the night of that same day, in the lobby of a Yokohama hotel
“Commander Ineee~!”
On her way to her room back from the public bath, Ine was stopped by the cringey voice of a woman.
“Oh! Is that you, Mei?”
Ine looked to her back and there stood Meily, the receptionist of the Maihark Defense Knights headquarters. Remembering that she had unexpectedly picked up Lt. Gen. Ouchida by imitating her, her face reddened.
“What’s wrong? Your face suddenly reddened!”
“Oh, ah! It’s nothing!”
She is also part of the goodwill ambassador group. It seems that she was picked as a public relations committee member for Japan, and she was highly sought after in places where Ine could never hope to be in. Meily says that, for some reason, she was randomly being called a cat person.
“Sooo, a Japanese man just told me that there’s a place nearby where we can eat sweet and delicious food! Why don’t you come with me, commander~?”
“Sweet and delicious food? There are places that are still open this late at night?”
“Uhhh, they are open all day, I heard~”
“All day… Those workers probably don’t get tired. Well, guess I’ll go too.”
The government had provided them Japanese money for use as on-site activity funds. While she convinced herself that she was simply experiencing Japan’s food culture, the two who had an appetite for sweets headed out for a nearby family restaurant.
A certain family restaurant, Yokohama
“Hmm!!! This is so good!!!”
“I know, right… Sooo goood~~”
A parfait was elegantly placed in front of the two. The moderate and top-notch quality of the sweetness of the fluffy part along with the indistinct sourness of the fresh fruits created an exquisite harmony.
“Who would’a thought that something this delicious existed in this world!!!”
Having eaten for the first time a food that was incredibly sweet, Ine had forgotten she was nobility and started to chow down on the parfait with her spoon.
“Waiteeer! Seconds please!!!”
Ine happily turns to face and loudly calls the waiter for seconds. It was at that moment when she saw the people standing behind their seats that she froze.
“Ah.”
“Oh? It’s been a while, Ine!”
It was a face that I could never forget: the face of Ouchida. Apparently, it seems that he is eating out with two of his subordinates.
“Ah-uhhhh… Long time no… see…”
“How’s Japan? I wasn’t able to even ask you.”
Seeing Ouchida smile made Ine blush and cover her face in embarrassment. Her lips were bright white from the cream plastered all over.
What the hell… I look so terrible right now…
“May I ask who could she be?”
One of the subordinates asked Ouchida.
“This is Ine of the Principality of Qua-Toyne’s Maihark Defense Knights.”
“Ohhh, so she’s the one you’ve been talking about! My gosh, what a beautiful lady!”
Ine’s heart greatly ached at the sight of the smiling men before her.
“If you may, I will see you later.”
“Ah, of course…”
Unable to keep up her dignified appearance, Ine felt dejected. Seeing this, Ouchida stopped and turned to talk to Ine.
“How long will you stay in Japan?”
“Uhh, about 3 weeks.”
“If I recall, the goodwill ambassador group is staying at the Princess Hotel. As a sort of thanks for taking me to that church a while back, will you let me guide you to some of Japan’s tourist attractions? If you have the time, that is…”
“A-ah! Yes! Of course!!”
Ine replies with sparkles in her eyes to which Ouchida happily nods and takes his leave. With cream still all over her lips, Ine absentmindedly stares at Ouchida like an innocent maiden.
“Co-commander?! Who was that handsome man just now?!”
Completely forgetting her usual laid-back tone, Meily scoots over the table towards Ine.
“That was Lt. Gen. Ouchida, the brave general who commanded the relief force sent to the Principality of Qua-Toyne.”
“Lt. Gen. Ouchida… That Ouchida who even as a foreigner, was given by our country the title of noble?! Commander, you’re so quick!!! And that church he was talking about… it’s the Diswall Church, right?! Isn’t that, like, a dating spot?!
And what you did just now… The face of a maiden who’s shy around men… What a tactic, commander!!! Hihihihi…”
Frightened by Meily’s feisty eyes, Ine drew back.
“I-it’s not like that!!! Not at all!!!”
Someday later, Ine and Ouchida were engraved in The Interesting History of the World (published by the Treasure Continent Company) as “The Couple That Crossed Worlds and Dated After Japan’s Transference”. In addition, Meily began to work full-time in Japan. It is said that Ine was fed up with being incessantly asked about how much she and Ouchida had progressed when he took her on a food trip.
