Chapter 126: I and Me / Director of the New Moon (1/2)

Chapter 125: I and Me / Armor of the Heart Chapter 127: I and Me / Aura

Translator: Reflet

In the train that was racing through the night in Juunishima, a disguised Youran slipped into the group of passengers.

She had ordered the maid Michiyo to continue the search for Taiyou, telling her to contact upon finding his location. Until that was cleared up, she figured she would first head to the hospital.

「Look at this.」

「What?『New Moon-sama looks even cuter when idle.』……What is this? Your Japanese is screwed up.」

「……」

She could hear two men of the community conversing. It seemed that・・・・she had been brought up as a topic, so Youran secretively listened in.

「If she became cute then it’s not a problem saying she became cute. What’s wrong with saying that she looks cute while idle?」

「She’s New Moon-sama. You realize that you need to use the appropriate words.」

「The heck? So what do I gotta do, refer to her head and butt as sir?」

「I’M GOING TO SLAUGHTER YOU!」

One of the men gave off a threatening voice.

「I get it, calm down. And what is this?」

「It’s a picture of New Moon-sama. It’s the one that was taken earlier by the mass media with the prime minister and princess of Phili.」

「Oh, it was on the news. I think it was some sort of conference or whatnot?」

「Yeah……New Moon-sama is so cute……」

The man let out an ecstatic voice.

「I feel like I can do anything if it’s for New Moon-sama.」

「Anything? So if she tells you to die then you’ll die?」

The other man was not being malicious; he simply was questioning him.

「Of course! If she says “Will you fight and die for me?” then I’ll take a round trip of all the world’s disputed regions.」

「You’re exaggerating. And do you really understand New Moon-sama? I don’t think someone like her would say “my”. She is refined after all.」

「Very true!『My cause』or『My sake』would probably be more accurate!」

（Sorry, but I don’t use either of those.）

Youran quipped in her head.

She was listening to the men gossiping about her like it was an everyday thing.

Youran, Juunishima’s New Moon Director.

A few years ago, she had this title added to her actual name.

Bombastically adhering to formalities, this name was the proof of being this island’s sovereign.

Since then, she had been called「New Moon-sama」by the island’s residents.

The name of the family that had served the island for generations and the appearance that she had been born with.

Thanks to those things, Youran believed that she was looked upon favorably by the island’s citizens. She confirmed with the men’s conversation that this was the case.

「Oh, she’s just so cute! New Moon-sama, she’s totally the new moon.」

「What do you mean by “totally the new moon”, you mean “angel”!」

「Don’t put New Moon-sama with the likes of an angel! That’s blasphemy!」

「O-Okay, sorry.」

「Ahh, New Moon-sama…I wonder if she’ll have a handshake event.」

「……You sure you aren’t the one who’s blaspheming New Moon-sama the most?」

Exasperated at what his friend said, he said “Really now”.

「I just looked it up now, but there’s actually a New Moon cram school.」

Hearing what he said, Youran peeked over her shoulders. Both had their smartphones out, and she could see the big LCD screens displaying websites.

「That’s right. New Moon-sama isn’t just some transcendent beauty. She’s been providing assistance to kids without relatives and the like. While putting the talents of the children to use, she recruits the shining ones as her subordinates.」

「Whoaaa.」

「Yeah……I also wanna be New Moon-sama’s subordinate……Guess I’ll beat my old man to death.」

「Wait until you find a way to return to being a child.」

The man who was behaving in a violent manner, and the friend who was calmly evading him.

Listening for some time, Youran’s mind drifted off.

Those were conversations that she had heard numerous times up until now, all lacking originality.

Even amongst the members of Juunishima, she boasted an immense amount of popularity. If she were to face off against her father, the current head, in a democratic election, she would probably win with an overwhelming vote of 98%.

She was that popular.

So what exactly could she do to answer to her vast amount of popularity and support? Swaying in the train, Youran continued to think about that.

Having arrivated at the hospital, Youran went straight to Akita Mio’s room, having heard about it previously. Mio was resting on a bed in the two-person room of the general hospital wing. An IV tube was attached to her arm, and the exposed skin peeked out from bandages.

Her face was a color of the worst degree, and she wasn’t even conscious.

「Oh, who might you be?」

「――」

A voice approached her from behind as she was staring a Mio. Turning around, she saw a woman of about the same age as Mio.