Chapter 103: Silver Soul (Earth Arc)

“You just said you want me to return as your clan chief?” Okakura Take asked the man named Tōhōji.

“Exactly. You’re the only clan chief of our generation!” Tōhōji’s eyes practically gleamed as he looked at Okakura Take.

“…Sorry, but this is a new society now. The concept of clan chiefs and tribes isn’t popular anymore. I have my own job—I really can’t just leave,” Okakura Take replied with some difficulty. To be honest, she had little interest in being a clan chief. Although she carried the bloodline of the typical Kishari tribe members, her feelings for Earth ran deeper.

“Clan chief! What are you saying?” Tōhōji’s emotions flared up instantly. Grabbing Okakura’s hand and glaring at her, he said, “You are our only clan chief. Heaven gave you power so that you could protect us!”

“…That sounded as if her very birth into this world were a divine gift,” Okakura thought.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a member of the Atotsu cult wielding a long knife, preparing to strike at Tōhōji. “Watch out!” Okakura quickly pulled Tōhōji behind her and kicked the cult member flying.

“Get out of here quickly…” Turning her head, Okakura saw Tōhōji’s gaze shining even brighter than before. His eyeballs, already quite white, now showed so much brightness that it overshadowed the dark parts.

“Clan chief, you’re amazing! See, you have that innate duty to protect our people inside you. Just now, didn’t you protect me?” Tōhōji said excitedly.

Faced with such stubbornness, Okakura sighed helplessly, pressing her forehead. “Even if it weren’t you just now, I would have saved whoever was attacked. You’re overthinking it. This is a battlefield. You have no combat skills at all, standing here means you’ll soon be cannon fodder.”

“Then after the battle, will you come back with me, clan chief?” Tōhōji asked.

“No,” Okakura answered decisively, which made Tōhōji drop his arms in disappointment.

“We’ve been waiting for you all this time. Are you really going to abandon us now?” Tōhōji lowered his head, dejected.

“…Okakura thought, don’t be like this. She had just shed the label of ‘jerk ex’ and now was about to be tagged as an irresponsible woman!”

“This isn’t the place for this conversation. Please leave quickly,” she waved her hand toward Tōhōji.

Tōhōji looked at Okakura sadly but eventually left. After a few steps, Okakura noticed a masked man—the same one who had once held a sign and wrecked her office—jump out and follow behind Tōhōji to protect him.

If he already had such a bodyguard, why did they need her to return as their guardian?

After dealing with all the Atotsu cult members, the group was taken into custody by the Universal Auxiliary Police Alliance. After all, these people were all wanted criminals throughout the cosmos.

As the head of the Earth branch of the Universal Auxiliary Police Alliance, Okakura Take still had to handle the follow-up matters on the planet Chris before she could return to Earth.

“Take-chan, bring me some local specialties when you come back, alright?” Kagura excitedly said nonstop in the Chris Star space transit lounge.

“Kagura-chan, haven’t you already tried all the food on Chris these past few days?” Okakura smiled wryly.

“Yeah, but I still want more! Hey, Gin-san, why did you hit me?” Kagura rubbed the back of her head and turned, fuming.

“Shut up, you little brat, don’t trouble others. Oh, by the way, Take, bring me some strawberry milk-flavored jerky from Chris. It’s really delicious,” Gin said seriously. No sooner had he said that than Kagura jumped over and grabbed his hair.

“Damn you, Gin-san! You always blame me, yet you’re the one who takes advantage everywhere. You’re shameless, you big adult!”

“Stop it, you jealous seaweed girl! If you pull out all of Gin-san’s hair, you’re going to lose your leading lady status!” Gin shouted, clutching his head.

The two immediately started fighting, attracting the attention of everyone in the lounge.

“You two idiots, stop it! You’re embarrassing yourselves!” Shinpachi hurried over to intervene, but the moment he reached the barrier, he became the target of both their attacks, and the three of them tangled into a mess.

“What a noisy bunch,” Kondo said seriously, sitting with his arms crossed.

“Phew…” Hijikata slowly blew out a smoke ring. “Yeah, those three idiots are just too loud.”

“…” Okakura frowned. “Have you forgotten the ruckus you caused at security just now?”

Earlier, as they tried to board, Kondo was carrying over ten bags of perfume, and Hijikata lugged two boxes of the Chris Star’s special egg yolk mayonnaise. Neither was allowed through, sparking a commotion.

One man, clutching a male flight attendant’s leg, sobbed, “If I don’t bring back the perfume, Miss Amayo will kill me!” The flight attendant cried “Pervert!” and kicked him in the face with her high heel.

Another drew a samurai sword to threaten the luggage inspectors, his terrifying smile nearly made the ticket agent cry.

Ultimately, the two fools were subdued. Kyubei and Okita knocked out Hijikata, while Gin and Shinpachi kicked out Kondo. The two unconscious men were dragged into the lounge, only waking moments ago.

With this group around, they could stir up enough noise to wake the dead.

Okakura forced a smile, thinking once she got these troublemakers aboard the ship, she’d finally be free. The time to board had come.

As she watched the noisy fools one by one head toward the boarding gate, a sudden loneliness crept over her—it was just her now…

Suddenly, a warm hand ruffled her hair forcefully. Okakura looked up to see Gin-san, the last to board.

“You look just like a mother sending her son off to kindergarten for the first time. Mom, your sons need you to let go for them to grow up,” Gin said lazily, squinting his fish-like eyes.

“What kind of metaphor is that, you idiot? Hurry up and board, Gin-san,” Okakura muttered awkwardly.

“I’m going now.” Gin took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back and hugged Okakura. “Godzilla, compared to being an African tribal chief, you’re better suited as a world-destroying overlord. And I, Gin-san, will always be the hero opposing the overlord.”

Okakura looked up in surprise—had Gin figured it out? Before she could ask, he had already walked away. She quietly placed her hands back on her lap, a happy smile spreading across her face.

Gin was right. Compared to being a clan chief, she truly preferred being an overlord.

Elsewhere, a large group of terrifying-looking Kishari gathered around a screen. Seeing Okakura and Gin embrace, they hissed in unison.

“Who’s that brat? How dare he hug our clan chief!”

“Bastard! The clan chief belongs to us!”

“The clan chief’s refusal to return is definitely because of that bastard!”

“Damn it, let’s hire assassins to kill that guy!”

The Kishari tribe members seethed with anger, glaring at Gin on the screen as if wanting to stab him.

In the diary left by Okakura’s mother, the Kishari tribe’s history was vaguely recorded, especially regarding the clan chief.

The Kishari clan chief was peculiar—there was never an overlap of generations. Only when the previous chief died would the next be born. When the young chief was still a child, the tribe became extremely low-profile, almost wishing to merge with a cosmic black hole until the chief matured and the tribe could live in peace.

Another trait was that male chiefs grew horns on their heads, while female chiefs looked like other tribe members.

Beyond that, the Kishari tribe had an unusual feature unknown to outsiders: their members revered the clan chief with a fanaticism surpassing even the most devoted celebrity fans. However, this intense devotion only existed in those who had not undergone true-love transformation.

Those retaining their primitive appearance exhibited strong possessiveness over the chief, unable to accept the chief’s romantic relationships or marriage. Any interpersonal interaction beyond friendship with the chief, regardless of gender, invited furious attacks from the tribe.

Because of this strange trait, many Kishari chiefs remained single throughout history.

Yet, aside from this, all members were staunch supporters of their chief, striving to fulfill any demand.

Thus, for thousands of years, the Kishari tribe and their chief maintained this bizarre harmony—until their planet was destroyed.

Now, the fleeing Kishari found their new chief, and the gene-engraved worship of the chief began to awaken.

But before that, they had to find a way to bring their chief back—because the chief was currently unwilling to accept them.

Okakura’s mother never wrote about this peculiarity in her diary, considering it a family shame best kept private. Since the tribe was now extinct, there was no need to mention it.

One month later…

“Gin-san, have you seen Take-chan?” Kagura stood on tiptoe, looking toward the exit but saw no sign of Okakura Take.

Today was Okakura Take’s return to Earth. The day before, she had sent a message to the Yorozuya trio, mentioning she brought souvenirs, so the three had come to pick her up.

“That’s great, Gin-san. Once Okakura-san is back, we can start working at the Universal Auxiliary Police Earth Branch again. Business’s been so slow lately, we can barely afford meals,” Shinpachi said with relief. Without Okakura-san, they couldn’t pick up side jobs.

Gin sat in a chair with his legs crossed, eyes closed, resting. “Hopefully she brought me some strawberry milk-flavored beef jerky. Otherwise, all the time I spent ditching pachinko to come here would be wasted.”

“Gin-san, it’s really strange that Okakura-san is with you. I just can’t figure out what she sees in you,” Shinpachi said disdainfully, pushing up his glasses.

“Yeah, someone like Gin-san is just a useless loser. I always thought only the trash recycling station manager would take him,” Kagura added, dealing another blow.

Having been on the receiving end of such words for years, Gin was used to it. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back arrogantly. “Hmph, you two little brats don’t understand the charm of a mature man like Gin-san. When you’re old enough to openly buy certain things at the supermarket, you’ll get it.”

“Gin-san…” Shinpachi’s voice suddenly trembled.

“Oh? What’s wrong, Shinpachi? You just get excited whenever you hear that word? At this rate, you’ll always be a c-boy,” Gin said with eyes closed.

“Kagura, if you try to jump into the Tamagawa Aqueduct later, I won’t stop you,” Kagura said with schadenfreude.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Gin finally opened his eyes and looked toward the exit. What he saw froze him instantly…

“…” Gin.

What on earth was this?

At the exit, a large group of people dressed in black, wearing white masks, clustered around a woman—Okakura Take. Behind her followed a group of handsome, tall, slender men carrying various items, attentively trailing her. The star-like attention she received made every woman in the airport envious.

“Yahoo! As the queen of Kabukicho, I want that treatment too!” Kagura was ecstatic, her blue eyes shining brightly.

“…Gin-san, are you alright?” Shinpachi asked with concern.

“Ah, I’m fine. It’s nothing at all.”

“…” Shinpachi.

Gin-san, could you please stop making that terrified face before you say such things?

Author’s note:

Hmm… Gin-san’s terrifying face has scared the little claw phone girls. Please, in your hearts, beat the curly-haired guy a hundred times! (But first, I’ll beat you myself!)