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Army of Giant Insects [Part 2]
“William-kun, I made my decision the very first time we met. Please be my page[1]!“
[T/N 1: 小姓 Kosho = a post similar to a page or squire. Their duties, for the most part, consisted of doing daily chores and secretarial work for a general. But depending on the era, 小姓 Kosho could also be required to be bodyguards, sword holders, or in extreme cases, sexual partners.]
“EEEHHH?! Fukushima-sama?! What are you…“
“Oho~“
“Oh my~“
With two pink blushes on both cheeks, Fukushima awaited William’s answer.
William cried out in surprise while Emma and Melsa watched on with great interest.
“I’ve always thought you were cute since the first time I met you. I believe this is fate, William-kun.“
“Wait, no, no, no, no! …What you meant by a page was that, right… that… THE page, right?!“
“Oho~“
“Oh my~“
With bodies slightly leaning forward, Emma and Melsa continued to look on.
“ “ “HOLD IT RIGHT THEREEE!” ” ”
Several samurais raised their hands and hastily crowded around Fukushima.
“Wha—! What are you doing?! Are you trying to start an illicit love?!“
Welp, there he said it, ‘illicit love’.
“Fukushima-sama, aren’t you the one who taught me to definitely find myself an excellent page no matter what?!“
“William-dono is an exceptional talent with intelligence and beauty rarely seen in recent years!“
“William-dono! Please, by all means, be my page! I will definitely satis—…“
“Oho~“
“Oh my~“
Emma and Melsa covered their mouths with their hands to hide the smirks on their faces that arose from seeing the samurais fight over William.
“Hey!!! Nee-sama and Mother, too! What are you being all smiles about?! Do you really not mind? Even if I become a page?! Nee-sama! You always say things like ‘Lolicon, go die,’ but you actually support shotacons?! Mother?! You want to hug your grandchild, don’t you?“
“Well…“
“You know…“
Emma and Melsa exchanged glances with their hands still covering their mouths.
” “BL is an accomplishment…” “
The two said simultaneously, smiling like Chesire cats.
“It’s rotten…” muttered George, as he looked at the appearance of his mother and younger sister.
“IT’S BIG NO! Not even a chance! I refuse! I like lolis… uh I mean little girls… no no, I mean… uhh… young women! Such a thing, such a thing… is seriously impossible for me!“
Half-crying, William stressed that he loathed the idea.
“In the first place, you can’t let my father manage a territory! It will go in the red in two short seconds! Also, if you let my sister research insects as she likes, insects in Imperial Japan will gigantify!“
“…True…“
‘He’s got a point,’ thought Melsa.
“M-Mother… I want to at least research booklice.“
Sensing that things were starting to not look good, Emma requested to be allowed to look into the truth about Oliver’s Azuki Arai problem at the very least.
“Such insects that can multiply in large numbers are not allowed! If they turn huge, Imperial Japan will be eaten clean, won’t it?“
Melsa got angry because the way booklice multiplied was abnormal, and she couldn’t possibly let Emma mess around with them.
“No wayyy.“
The Emperor and the Shogun gulped as they looked at the crestfallen Emma. Their memory of seeing the numerous tailless whip scorpions that day was still fresh, and it even haunted them in their dreams every night.
“I-I-If William-kun insists, then it can’t be helped… right, Shogun?“
“R-Right… Your Imperial Majesty…“
They could never let the Imperial Japanese citizens see the nightmarish scene they could never forget for the rest of their lives.
“Wuuu… William-kun… Please tell me if you ever change your mind right away… I will come get you wherever you do.“
Fukushima and other samurais who offered themselves as candidates returned to their respective seats in low spirits.
“We’ve been thinking of heading back to our country because the new semester will start soon.“
William hurriedly said to the Emperor and the Shogun, because if he stayed in Imperial Japan any longer than this, his innocence would be in danger.
“Many of my mother’s ‘Monster x Imperial Japanese food’ recipes have been completed, and the reparations for the destroyed houses using Over ‘s rubbles has been progressing smoothly. The manufacture of canned food is also underway without any problem, and the company has found a way to establish communication to a certain extent.“
“We have done everything we needed to do. Now, we’re going home,” William continued. The tone of his voice made what the family accomplished seem very insignificant.
From now on, Imperial Japan would trade with the Rothschild Company under an exclusive contract. The company stepped in so Imperial Japan, which had been in isolation for a long time, wouldn’t be taken advantage of by the Kingdom or other countries.
♠♠♠
Author’s words: George nii-sama‘s Ghibli comedic retort is back after a long while.
Translator’s note/comment: “It’s rotten…” is an iconic line from the movie “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”.
Emma = the Kingdom’s idol
William = Imperial Japan’s heartthrob
Who’s next?
Further note about “BL is an accomplishment” : Back then, homosexuality was so common in samurai society that it was regarded as one of a samurai’s accomplishments. It was also believed that being loved by one’s lord was the fastest way to climb the ranks (Some examples: Nobunaga Oda and Toshiie Maeda, Masamune Date and Shigetsuna Katakura). Of course, this has not been proven or admitted specifically. I mean, who would want to openly admit it at that time?
[Source: The Japanese-English Bilingual Corpus of Wikipedia’s Kyoto Articles]