CHAPTER 2
After the first line break, italics will indicate what is happening in the Great Demon Kingdom, and normal text will indicate what is happening on Earth.
It has been about two days since Yuuri left the kingdom for Earth. In those two days, everyone has been preparing guest rooms and meal plans for the multitude of guests who will be staying for a few weeks. Speaking of which, nobles from the Great Demon Kingdom and allies were slowly arriving at Blood Pledge Castle, excited to learn more about Yuuri and the other world they hear she goes home to.
A lot of rumors have spread about what type of place Earth is — people have heard it is a place full of mystical creatures and extremely advance technology (well, the technology part isn't totally untrue). Others have heard it is a place where it is magic that is more advanced. They heard it is a place where magic can be used for daily tasks and not just maryoku and thought that maybe that was the reason why Yuuri had such great power.
Along with the nobles and allies, people such as Adalbert and his band of merry men and even Alford were invited. They thought it would be all right, especially since Yuuri considers them to be friends.
When everything was finally ready, everyone gathered in the ballroom where a large screen was set up; Ulrike's crystal ball was set up in front of the screen as well. She allowed herself to come out of the castle for this. Shinou was watching from one of the bannisters.
Everyone took their seats around the room as Murata went and stood in front of everyone in front of the screen.
"Good morning, everyone!" He greeted with a cheer. "As you all know, we came up with this elaborate plan to learn more about Yuuri. You see, you can ask me many questions about her, but even I won't be able to answer all of them. Believe it or not, Yuuri and I, despite having a pretty close relationship, still keep a few secrets from each other, so even I will be learning something new."
"How are we so sure he did not think of this plan for his own benefit?" Gwendal asked Conrart.
Conrart shrugged.
"On Earth, time is a lot slower compared to this world. If it has been a few months here, it was only a couple of hours in the other world. But thanks to the efforts of Ulrike here, she was able to change the speed of our time and we are more or less in tune with the time of Earth, albeit temporarily. Once we are done with this little event, we will return things to the way they were.
"Well, by my estimation, Yuuri should be awake by now, or at least just about to wake up. So, Ulrike, will you please?"
Ulrike focused on her crystal ball and suddenly, Yuuri's bedroom appeared on the screen. It was dark, but light was seeping in through the blinds. A blanket cocoon was clearly shown on the bed, a foot with woven anklets peeking out.
"Yep, that is definitely Yuuri…" those who know Yuuri very well thought.
"Remember," said Murata, "If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me!" Well, here starts the fun.
Yuuri was already awake. Well, it wasn't like she got much sleep anyway. She had gotten used to either being wrapped in Wolfram's arms, or having Wolfram wrapped in her arms so much, she couldn't fall asleep as easily as usual. Because of this, she was still incredibly exhausted, so she had told herself she wouldn't get out of bed until her alarm clock rang to indicate she had slept for the maximum amount of time she can without having to worry about rushing to school… which was now.
Her phone burst out playing One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful, which made Yuuri finally sit up and turn off the alarm on her phone. Once she did, she buried her face in her pillow and groaned in frustration.
"What is that, Your Eminence?" Asked Lady Flynn.
"That, Lady Flynn, is what you call a cellphone," Murata answered. "It is a device with that allows you to contact someone, even from far away, immediately as its main function. Though, since it was first invented, it has improved through time with our ever growing knowledge and capabilities of technology. Now it has functions such as being able to tell time, and - like what you just saw - being able to be set to give off loud noise or sounds or music in order to wake someone up at a certain time."
With a lot of grunting, she finally got herself out of bed. She tied her hair up into a bun and grabbed her clothes. She went to the bathroom and got ready for school.
Ulrike was controlling the crystal ball like she was controlling a joystick. Murata felt as if they were playing sims. When Yuuri went inside the bathroom, he made sure the "camera" did not follow her in, otherwise he'd have to face a very angry dragon-like blonde.
Instead, they waited for her right outside in the hallway, and he took the time to explain Earth culture. Houses were much smaller, and Yuuri's family were the type of people who lived modestly. He explained to them some of the items they were seeing such as photographs and air-conditioners.
Twenty minutes later, Yuuri finally came out of the bathroom wearing her uniform and her hair tied in a ponytail. She went to her bedroom first and picked up her backpack and phone. Afterwards, she went down and met her family for breakfast.
"Good morning," she yawned as she entered the room.
"Good morning, Yuu-chan!" Yuuri's mother, Miko-san or Jennifer, called out from the kitchen. "Take a seat, honey! Go and serve yourself whilst I finish cooking the rest of this."
"Thanks, mom." Yuuri took a seat at the dining table and helped herself to the food that was on the table: steamed rice, strips of bacon, squid, and miso soup. She dug in excitedly, having missed the flavors of her mother's home cooked meals.
The maids were frantically taking notes of the food Yuuri was eating. They were surprised at how simple the food was, but was being heavily enjoyed by their queen.
"That woman is Her Majesty's mother?" Lord Derloin, the representative of the human country, Veldron, asked.
"Yes. Miko Shibuya - also known as Jennifer - is a very loving mother and an incredibly kind woman."
"Despite the differences in hair and eye color, it is obvious Queen Yuuri has taken after her mother in terms of physicality."
"That is true," replied Wolfram. "In addition to what His Eminence has said, when you first meet Miko-san, you might think to yourself, 'oh, so this is where Queen Yuuri gets her ideas about striving for peace'
," Wolfram sighed.
That, of course, made everyone excited to see more of Yuuri's mother.
Shoma Shibuya walked into the connected dining room and living room. "Good morning, my beautiful wife and daughter!"
Yuuri, with a mouth full of food replied, "Mornin' dad-", but was cut off by her mother.
"What did you do this time?" Miko turned around from the stove, pointing her spatula at her scared husband. "Well?"
"Umm… hehe, do you remember when you told me to clean out my study last night?"
"I'm listening."
"Well, umm, I may have forgotten to do so…"
"Ugh! Why are you always like this…" And then Miko went off on a rant that lasted the next five minutes.
During that time, Shoma had already started eating, and Yuuri was almost done with her food.
It was Shori Shibuya's entrance that made Miko stop her ranting. "Sho-chan, scold your father for me, will you? He's being so lazy — forgetting to clean out his study."
"Dad. You should remember to clean your study." Shori grabbed a piece of bacon from Yuuri's plate and ate it.
"Oy!"
"Oy!" Both father and daughter yelled at the exact same time.
"Shori, that was my food!"
"Why are you scolding me? I'm the patriarch in this house, for goodness sake!"
"Well, you're a patriarch who can't remember to clean his study." Miko interrupted.
"I'm sorry!"
"They seem like a very energetic family…" Lord von Wincott commented.
"You have no idea," replied Murata.
Yuuri finished up her plate and took a glance at the time. "Well, it's time for me to head to school!"
Miko came into the kitchen area, carrying another plate of bacon. "Aww, you don't want any seconds?"
Yuuri shook her head. "No thanks, mom. I'm full." She walked up to her mother and kissed her on the cheek.
"Call me 'mama', Yuu-chan!" She handed Yuuri her bento as she pouted.
She gave a kiss to her dad as well and walked out of the house.
"Hey, none for me?" Shori yelled.
"Nope!" And with that, Yuuri got on her bike and rode to school.
As they watched Yuuri ride her bike to school, Murata had to explain to everyone what a bike is, along with the buildings and how a city looks like on Earth. He also had to explain the "carriage with no horses" and how they work and how he and Yuuri are too young to drive one. He also explained to them the concept of traffic, traffic lights, commuting, and pedestrians.
About fifteen minutes later, Yuuri had finally made it to school.
When she got to school, she parked her bike and chained it with a lock and key she brought. She entered the school and went to her assigned locker and changed out of her shoes to the provided pink slippers for girls. When she turned around, she was tackled to the ground by a close friend of hers.
"Yuuri!" Her best friend, Ayaka, couldn't help but rub her face against Yuuri's as she hugged her. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while except for when I come and visit you during your baseball practices! Is Murata-kun replacing me as your best friend."
"No one can replace you, Ayaka. You're too noisy for anyone to possibly top you."
"You're so mean, Yuu-chan." Ayaka was pouting.
Both girls helped pull each other up off the ground and they walked to their respective classroom together, Class 2-B.
"So what's our first subject after Homeroom?" Yuuri asked.
"Biology."
"Ehh, that's fine. Do we have Algebra today?"
Ayaka thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so - EEP!" She suddenly squealed.
Yuuri stopped. "What?" She looked at the direction Ayaka was staring at and saw Miyano Itsuma, the school's most popular guy.
"Ahh… yuck." Yuuri shuddered.
"How are you not swooning for him? Plus, he even likes you!"
"Hmm… I don't know, maybe because I am sure he's a dick with three other girls on the side." Yuuri shrugged. "Besides, I already have someone."
Ayaka snapped her head towards her. "YOU DO?" She yelled so loud, people actually stared at them.
"Ayaka, shh!" Yuuri pleaded, but it went unheard.
"DO I KNOW HIM? IS HE HANDSOME? DOES HE TREAT YOU RIGHT? ARE YOU STILL A VIRGIN?"
At that last question, everybody turned to Wolfram.
"Yes, Wolfram," Yozak teased. "Is Her Majesty still a virgin?"
Everybody stared at him waiting for his answer.
All Wolfram could do was gulp and turn away, not wanting to give a straight answer. That was enough for everyone to understand what his answer was. That was also enough for Gunter to have a nosebleed, "Your Majesty!" He fell into a heap on the ground and moaned. "I think I'm feeling sick…"
"SHUSH!"
Ayaka grabbed Yuuri's hand and led her to a secluded area. "Spill the beans. NOW."
Yuuri rolled her eyes. "All right, all right." She inhaled and exhaled, readying herself for this. "No, you don't know him; Yes, he is handsome; Yes, he treats me right; and no, I am… not a virgin anymore."
Ayaka squealed so loudly, Yuuri had to cover her ears.
Everyone was slyly staring at Wolfram.
Yozak was laughing. "Isn't this hilarous, Captain?" He got no reply. "Captain?" He turned to where Conrart was supposed to be standing behind him, and instead saw him facing away from the screen.
He turned around to see Conrart looking away from the screen uncomfortably.
"Um… are you okay?"
All he got as a reply was a twitch.
"Tsk," Gwendal crossed his arms. "You'd think he'd come to accept this by now, right Gunter?" He got nothing in reply. "Gunter?" He turned to see the lavender-haired man on his knees, struggling to contain his breakfast in his stomach
"Oh my god, I can't wait to tell the other girls about this!"
Yuuri's eyes widened as she remembered just how much of a gossip girl Ayaka was and despite being her friend, would still spill the beans to their classmates. "Ayaka! No, I would prefer this to be a secret!"
"But, Yuu-chan!" She ran ahead of Yuuri. "It's sooooo juicy! Plus, it might get Itsuma-kun off your back if he finds out!" She ran off before Yuuri even finished calling her name. "Ayaka!" She groaned.
"So, you've got a boyfriend now, huh?"
Yuuri turned around to see Miyano Itsuma walking towards her. "Yeah. What do you care?"
"Just wanted to know what made you choose this loser over me."
"WHAT DID HE CALL ME?"
"Okay, first of all, he is not a loser. And second, again, why do you care?"
"Oh, come on, Shibuya, don't be like that. You know I've been interested in you for a while now."
Yuuri rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You're only interested in me because I'm the only girl who isn't licking the ground you walk on."
He shrugged. "True…" He walked closer to her and pinned her to the wall. "Besides, Yuuri, my big dick is pretty lonely."
Yuuri shuddered and nearly puked. She glared at him and said right at his face, "Oh please, Miyano-san. You claim to have a pretty big dick, but judging by the bulge on your pants, I'm sure my boyfriend's dick is so much bigger than yours."
He was so stunned, his arms relaxed, and Yuuri took that as an opportunity to get away and to her classroom before she arrives late.
Yozak was panicking. "SOMEONE GET A BUCKET FOR LORD VON CHRIST!"
"Yep, I'm gonna need some fresh air!" Yozak turned around to see the captain heading towards the exit, the eyes of everyone in the room following him.
Yuuri walked briskly to her classroom. She slid the door open and found everyone staring at her. "Umm… hi?" She went to her seat and as she sat down, she was bombarded with questions.
"SO WHO IS HE?"
"WHERE IS HE FROM?"
"SCALE OF 1-10, HOW HOT IS HE?"
And a whole lot more.
"SHUSH!" Yuuri relaxed herself with an inhale and exhale. "His name is Wolfram; He is a foreigner, who I met through my dad; His older brother is a close friend of my father's and is my godfather; How hot is he? Well," Yuuri dug through her bag for her phone. When she brought it out, she searched for a photo on her phone. "Here he is." She showed them a selfie she took of the both of them during the first time they were in Switzerland. Everyone was all happy about finding the box, and Yuuri couldn't help but teach Wolfram the concept of a selfie while he was all smiles. Except, Wolfram wasn't looking at the camera. He was gazing lovingly at Yuuri while she was giving the camera her biggest smile.
'How did I not realize Wolfram was truly in love with me even then?' Yuuri thought to herself.
"No, way!"
"He is so cute!
"So handsome!"
"He looks like a knight in shining armor!"
Yuuri laughed awkwardly. "Haha, well…"'If you only knew…'
"So how'd your relationship start?" One of the girls, Mayumi, asked.
Yuuri deadpanned. "It is a very… very complicated story."
Thankfully, they decided to drop it.
"How old is he?"
"Oh, he's…" I can't exactly tell them he's eighty-two-years-old…Yuuri thought. "He's nineteen!" She guessed.
"Well," Murata started. "She's not that far off. Nineteen would be the human equivalent to an eighty-two-year-old demon…" He turned towards Gunter who was still on the floor, leaning over a bucket. His back was being rubbed in circles by Yozak. "Are you all right, Lord von Christ?"
Gunter gave him a thumbs up as he proceeded to continue puking.
Gwendal groaned. "For Shinou's sake, Lord von Christ! Will you take that outside? You are embarrassing yourself!"
At that moment, the bell rang to signify the start of their first period.
Everyone got to their assigned seats. Yuuri was assigned to the middle aisle, but was closer to the back. It was her favorite seat. She wasn't too far from the teacher, but she was still too far away for the teacher to see if she was doodling in her notebook instead of taking down notes.
Their Homeroom teacher, Kudo-sensei walked in. He was a middle-aged man who was friendly and stern. He was also their English Literature teacher, and so he was Yuuri's favorite teacher. He also turned out to be a good friend of her father's. Apparently he was a demon who worked under Bob like her father and Dr. Rodriguez, and actually knew Yuuri was a demon as well. What he didn't know was her status as the queen.
Kudo-sensei talked about how the school festival was coming up and that we'd better start planning. He told us to try and think outside of the box — to ditch the maid/cosplay cafes, or the haunted house ideas. I silently agreed with him.
He talked about more of the details we would need to know before leaving us to plan out what we can before first period officially starts.
The class president, Ito Ayumi stood up at the front of the room the moment Kudo-sensei went out of the room. "All right, so does anyone have any suggestions for what we can do for the festival?
"A cafe? Or a restaurant, maybe?" one of the girls suggested.
"Didn't sensei just say to avoid that?" Whispered Yuuri's seat mate, Kato Takumi to her.
"That's what I was just thinking…"
"A concert?"
"Ooh!" one of the guys exclaimed. "How about a Nerf battleground?"
Yuuri was actually about to go for the Nerf idea, but it was shot down by the majority, which is of course, girls.
"No, that's a stupid idea!" Ayaka yelled. 'Ayaka, I love you, but I will murder you.'
The ideas kept coming and coming, and as brilliant as the guys' ideas were, the other girls just kept shooting them down.
Then one of the guys decided to think like a girl. "Hey," he started off sarcastically, "why don't we do a cafe with live music?"
The girls suddenly all squealed and Yuuri and the males in the room all covered their ears.
"That's a great idea, Itsuma-kun!"
"Yeah, Itsuma-kun, you are so smart!"
Yuuri and some of her close guy friends looked at each other and pretended to make themselves gag by putting their index fingers up in their open mouths with their tongues sticking out accompanied by vomiting sounds.
Ayumi rolled her eyes. "You guys are so immature!"
Since majority liked the idea, those who didn't had no choice but to push through.
The students started making some basic plans for their cafe.
"We can also let the customers sing if they want to!"
"Good idea! But first, who among us could sing..."
Everybody turned to Yuuri who was busy trying to hide under her table.
"Shibuya..."
Yuuri squeaked. "Yes?"
"YOU WILL BE THE MAIN PERFORMER!"
"FORGET IT, THIS WASN'T MY IDEA!"
"But, Yuuri!" Ayano whined. "You are such a good singer and you're the only one who could sing!"
"IF THAT WAS THE CASE, THEN WHY DID WE ALL AGREE TO THIS IF IM THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SING?"
"Quiet down, Shibuya!"
When has Shibuya Yuuri ever quieted down?
"And besides, I didn't even vote for this. Why should I be the one to suffer?"
That made everyone quiet down and look at each other. Yuuri went on. "Besides, a cafe? Seriously? I am sure a whole lot of other classes have chosen to do this too. Why can't we be original and do a Nerf battle? That would be so much more fun and would make us a stand out!"
The boys, except for Itsuma, cheered. "I get you want to be all cute and wear waitress uniforms and act all flirty and cute for guys as you serve them their food, but I am so sure there is a time and place for that, and I assure you, this school festival is not it. Other than that, more often than not, us girls are making the decisions when we're supposed to do it together as a class. I'm sure we can use the guys' idea at least once, can't we?" The guys cheered louder and the girls all glanced at each other.
Ayumi glanced at the other girls apologetically and sighed. "What did you boys have in mind?"
The guys all cheered and fist-bumped Yuuri. They all gushed about their ideas and Yuuri couldn't help but smile to herself. Never has she seen these guys so interested in a school activity, and she felt glad to have helped.
"She's very diplomatic, isn't she?" One of the human allies pointed out.
"Yes — a natural born-leader, so it seems," said another.
Gwendal heard them and couldn't help but give a small smile at how proud he was of Yuuri.
"My Lord, are you… tearing up?" Yozak teased.
Gwendal stiffened, and faced forwards. "None of your business, Gurrier…"
A few minutes later, their teacher for their Japanese class, Tsukimori-sensei walked in. "All right, class. Settle down."
During class, Yuuri was bored. She could not seem to concentrate and instead focused on doodling on the pages at the back of her notebook. Not only that, but she was passing notes with the guys beside her. Their seating arrangements were also alternating between boy and girl, so she was in between two guys. The three of them were trying hard not to laugh about the notes they were passing each other about how annoying some of the other girls were, and how much of a kiss-up Itsuma was to the girls. They also brainstormed more ideas for the Nerf Battle activity, and they even asked Yuuri for tips about baseball.
Those who knew of Wolfram's jealousy issues all stared at him in fear, waiting for a reaction. Even Conrart who had recovered from his moment of weakness. He, Gwendal, and Gunter were readying themselves to tackle Wolfram just in case.
Wolfram clenched his fists as he made calming breaths. He exhaled and nodded at his brothers and Gunter. "I'm fine…"
Everyone knew Yuuri was part of an outside-of-school baseball team. They went out and supported her during games sometimes, and more often than not, Yuuri made sure to lead her team to victory. She had just recently been made captain when she started her second year of high school. Despite being one of the youngest and newest members on the team, they made her captain anyway for her determination and excellent baseball skills.
Yuuri was hesitant about it at first, but she thought leading a team could possibly be good practice for leading a country.
Well… not really.
This went on until it was time for lunch. Everyone brought out their bento boxes and Yuuri silently ate by herself on her desk, checking her Pinterest on her phone and saving stuff she found interesting.
As they watched Yuuri, Murata explained more of the uses of a smartphone, and what apps are, especially what Pinterest is.
This was something that astounded them; Earth had technology to hold so much information and have so many capabilities and they needed that to sink in.
As he explained what Pinterest is, he explained also how to use it and what "boards" were.
One such board that caught everyone's — but mostly Wolfram's — attention was Yuuri's board that said, "DREAM WEDDING".
"I'm sure Her Majesty would want a grand wedding appropriate for someone of her stature!" Exclaimed Stoffel.
"I agree!" Gunter cried, "Her Majesty deserves a grand wedding and I would gladly be the one to plan it out and make sure she has one!"
Conrart and Gwendal glanced at Wolfram, wondering what his input in this was.
Wolfram didn't say anything at all. All he did was show a soft smile as he thought of how beautiful Yuuri would look in a wedding dress as she walked down the aisle to marry him.
She scanned through the links she saved in her "DREAM WEDDING" board, and she sighed.
"What's got you all sad?" Ayaka asked, coming up behind her.
Yuuri locked her phone and kept it in her pocket. "Nothing, just thinking about stuff — that's all…"
"Why would thinking about her dream wedding make her sad?" Lady Celi pouted.
"I don't know, mother," Wolfram replied. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
Ayaka propped an eyebrow up at her, but she let the topic go. She sat on the seat in front of Yuri's and opened a conversation with her until their lunch break ended and class resumed.
"Did you see that sad look Her Majesty tried to hide?" Lady Celi pointed out.
"Yes… you'd think someone would be happy when thinking about their dream wedding…" Anissina put a finger to her chin, thinking about what could be the cause for Yuuri's sad eyes.
"You are probably just over-reading her expression," Gunter suggested.
Lady Celi and Anissina both glanced at each other, a silent agreement between them that they did in fact see what they did.
After two more classes in their classroom, they all went to their respective locker rooms where they changed into their PE uniforms.
"YUURI!"
"OH YOUR MAJESTY!" Gunter fainted with a nosebleed.
Everyone was trying to hold back from looking at the screen as Yuuri took off her shirt and regular bra, changing it to a sports one.
Gwendal and some of the other noblemen and allies were trying to hide the blush on their cheeks as Yuuri removed her skirt, revealing her tight, pink thong.
"Ulrike, turn away from her, damn it!" Wolfram yelled.
It was at that moment when Conrart decided to come back and join everyone again, but upon taking in the scene before him, he thought he might as well stay outside for a little while longer.
"Yuuri!"
Said girl turned around to see one of her female classmates, Mouri Kana, staring at her but.
"Umm… yes?"
"Is that a hickey on your ass?"
Yuuri turned around again so she could see her but through the full-length mirror in her locker. On her left but-cheek was indeed a hickey. She blushed again and squeaked out a "maybe".
Kana squealed and pointed out the hickey to the other girls. As Yuuri finished getting ready she could still feel the stares of her classmates, even when she was already wearing her gym shorts.
Waltorana couldn't help but smirk at his nephew. "Really, Wolfram? Her butt?"
Some of the other nobles couldn't help but raise their eyebrows knowingly at him — especially the men.
Wolfram shrugged and smirked back at his uncle. "It's not my fault Yuuri likes it."
"Really, now? Her Majesty likes to be taken from behind?"
Gwendal was starting to wish he walked out with Conrart, and that he was glad his younger brother wasn't here at the moment.
"Oh Uncle, you wouldn't believe just how much of a vixen that woman is in the bedroom."
All around the room, eyes were popping out and jaws were dropping to the floor.
Gunter's nose was bleeding so much, he passed out. Again.
Gwendal, Yozak, and Anissina were too stunned to say something — they all believed Yuuri would be an innocent little lamb.
Nobles all around the room were either uncomfortable or scandalized. Learning about Queen Yuri's sex life was not something they were expecting to learn when they agreed to this, however interesting it may be.
Lady Celi, however, was squealing and clapping on her chair about how proud she was of Yuuri. She was the type of person who believed that when a woman has mastered the art of the bedroom, they can go far.
While all the guys went out to the courtyard, the girls went out to the gym and saw a rope hanging from the center of the room.
Groans were heard all over the room. Everyone hated doing the rope climbing activity. If you aren't able to complete it by the end of class, then you are forced to run around the field for at least three laps.
"Fuck," Yuuri muttered to herself. She glared at the rope along with her classmates.
A whistle blew and everyone turned to see their PE teacher, Masumi-sensei, holding a clipboard. "Line up in front of the rope! Everyone gets multiple chances to try and climb the rope — just make sure to line up again. First person to get to touch the ceiling gets an automatic perfect score just for showing up to class for one whole month. You could even sit out on the activities if you'd like."
When she said that, Yuuri's classmates all scrambled to get in line. When all her classmates have found their places in line, Yuuri calmly went over as the last person in line.
She liked working out and keeping fit, especially as a baseball player. She also thought her PE classes would be a good way to keep up with working out and getting strong enough to properly wield Morgif. Since the only exercise Yuuri gets in the other world are practicing her sword-fighting and her runs with Conrart in the morning, she takes advantage of her PE classes and uses it to get even more fit.
Conrart finally came back inside and took back his seat beside Yozak. "What'd I miss?"
Yozak stiffened. "I think it's best you don't know, Captain…"
One-by-one, her classmates all attempted to make it up the rope, all of them not even getting halfway before falling on top of the mats placed around the area to cushion anyone who falls. While waiting in line, Yuuri did her warm ups to get herself pumped up.
When it was her turn, she rubbed her palms together before taking grip of the rope and twisting her long legs around it.
Yozak whistled. "I've gotta say, Her Majesty has some nice legs…"
He nearly lost his eyebrows when a fireball flew across an inch of his face.
She started going up the rope, and could feel her hands already starting to slip. She let her grip loosen a little and continued pulling herself up.
"Come on, Yuuri! You can do it!" Wolfram cheered. "Come on, you WIMP!"
"I thought he stopped calling her that?" Yozak whispered to Conrart.
Conrart shrugged. "Maybe it's his way of motivating her?"
She suddenly lost her grip and slipped from the rope, falling down on the mat below her.
"Ow…"
"Good job, Shibuya!" She turned to her PE teacher and saw her smiling. "Shibuya's the only one who got past the halfway point! You ladies are going to have to step it up if you really want that reward."
As she walked to the back of the line for another try, she got mixed reactions from her classmates. Some of them congratulated her on a job well done (or tried, rather), while others simply either glared or seethed (or both) at her. She thanked those who congratulated her, and rolled her eyes at the bitter ones.
"Hmph!" Gunter crossed his arms. "Those young ladies are very unsupportive. Her Majesty made a good attempt and did better than all of them! She does not deserve to be treated like this!"
Everyone in the room agreed, agitated that the young queen was treated in such a manner.
"She did a good job for a wimp…" Wolfram smiled, crossing his arms as he watched Yuuri crack her knuckles, indicating that she had gotten riled up.
Yuuri watched her classmates' second attempt to try climbing up the rope, making mental notes about possible tips and tricks she was observing from their performances.
When it was Yuuri's turn again, she used her classmates' negative reactions for inspiration and motivation. "I'll win the reward and rub it in their faces…" She smirked to herself.
She cracked her knuckles again before taking hold of the rope — and this time, wrapped one of her legs around the rope, remembering how Conrart did it during one of the times he had to rescue her. She then started thinking about the lyrics of Mulan's, Make a Man Out of You, along with the clip from the movie.
She started out smoothly, just like the first time. She realized she wasn't as tired as from the first time, and she think it might be the way her leg is wrapped around this time, since that was the only thing she changed this time around.
When she noticed she was at the halfway point, where she reached earlier before losing her grip, she felt her palms start to sweat.
'Shit…' She held on tighter, and pulled herself up. She kept going and going, and when her palms were really sweating, she cried out as she wrapped the rope around her fist as she pulled herself up with her right hand. Before using her left hand, she quickly wiped it on her shirt before using it to grip and wrap the rope around her fist and pull herself up. Now that her fists weren't so sweaty anymore, she kept going up like normal; without the fist wrapping.
She didn't notice she was close to the ceiling… except for the people watching her.
"Come on, Shibuya!"
"You got this, Yuuri!"
Were some of the things her classmates were yelling.
Some of the others were glaring and seething, bitter about most likely not being able to slack off in PE for the next month.
Yuuri pushed and pushed until one of her hand slipped and let go of the rope. "Shit!"
She was hanging onto the rope with one hand and was desperately clinging onto the rope with her other one. Using all her strength, she pulled and used the hand that slipped to pull herself up, and started climbing again.
Her supportive classmates started cheering for her until finally, she reached out and touched the ceiling.
She shook her fist in victory as her classmates cheered for her. She caught the eyes of one of the girls who were brooding and sent them a kiss. They grumpily turned away and Yuuri couldn't help but think of Wolfram.
"You go, Young Mistress!" Yozak yelled.
"You go, Yuuri!"
"At least we know she isn't a total wimp." Wolfram smiled, proud of his fiancée He watched as she continued to stay at the top of the rope, relishing her victory.
"When Yuuri gets back here, we might as well start training her how to fight properly," Gwendal suggested.
Conrart nodded. "That might be a good idea, brother, although we will have to find a way to fit it into Her Majesty's busy schedule, especially with all the paperwork she would have to catch up on."
After PE, Yuuri and her classmates all showered and changed.
They went back to her classroom and started cleaning.
"Wait, Queen Yuuri knows how to clean?"
Murata stared at the nobleman, one of the human allies. "Yes. In the education system in Japan, most schools require their students to clean at the end of each day to teach discipline and instill independence," Murata explained.
"I see… so Her Majesty grew up like a peasant?"
"Well, yes. I grew up the same way too, until I finished elementary school. I had transferred to a prestigious private school since I was able to get a scholarship, and in schools like that, we don't need to clean up at the end of each day."
After Yuuri and her classmates finished, they all went their separate ways. Some of her classmates went to their respective clubs, whereas Yuuri and some others went home.
She got her bike and walked alongside Ayaka. They walked home together until they reached a fork in the road and went in the opposite directions.
Yuuri rode her bike through the park. She was just riding along until something suddenly hit her on the head, causing her to fall off her bike.
"WHO DARED TO DO THAT TO MY PRECIOUS MAJESTY!"
"Ow, ow, ow…" Yuuri sat up from the ground, rubbing her temple. She glanced at her fingers and felt relief to not seeing any blood. She found a jar of hair wax next to her, and so she assumed that was what was used to hit her head. She stood up and picked up her bike and the hair wax, glancing around. "Who the fuck…"
"Oy, Shibuya!"
Yuuri groaned, already knowing who it was. She turned around and glared at the culprits. "What the fuck do you three idiots want?"
"Where's Murata?"
"Yeah, the son of a bitch still owes us."
Everyone turned to Murata, who had his head down and his glasses glinting in the light. "I owe them nothing." He stated. "They are just a bunch of bullies who think they can get away with whatever they want because they're bigger than a lot of people."
"Murata owes you nothing," she spat.
"Hn. You're right — he doesn't owe us; doesn't mean we can't still get what we want from him." Their leader, Kasanoda Rei, smirked. "Besides, you know the drill. If we can't get what we want from him, then you could pay his price for us."
She clenched her fists.
Murata stepped forward and closer to the screen. "What is he talking about?"
"What are you talking about?" She eyed them warily, trying to figure out what he was trying to say.
"Well, you see, every time we're trying to make a transaction with Murata, you show up and interrupt us and he runs away."
She rolled her eyes. "Why is Murata always your target? Are you jealous he's smart enough to get a scholarship, while you're in a delinquent school?"
"Why, you—" Yuuri tried to run, but one of the minions caught her before she could even take two steps away from them.
"Really, guys?" She eyed the three of them. She scanned the area as a smirk came on to her face, "We are in a public park with adults and police officers around the area." The guys glared at her as they took a few glances at their surroundings as well. "Are you sure you want to do something to me right here, or even drag me away? You can try, but I'm sure someone's gonna call the cops — look."
They looked again at the crowd around them, and saw some mothers who were with their children, and a couple of kids their age and younger were holding their cellphones. They then nodded at each other and the one holding me pushed me away with a "tsk".
I rolled my eyes and pushed past them to get my bike. "Whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do and places to be." She got on her bike and rode away before they could stop her.
She rode on until she got to the baseball field, where her team had already started practicing.
"Oy, Captain!" One of them yelled.
Yuuri got off her bike and waved as she parked it near the restrooms. "Sorry I'm late!" She yelled, rubbing the back of her neck. "I got pulled over by three annoying idiots."
Her teammate, Asano Sakura rolled her eyes. "Those three dumbasses again? I swear, I'm gonna beat the living shit out of them one of these days."
"Get in line, sister."
Sakura laughed.
"Well," started Yuuri, heading towards the changing rooms with Sakura following her. "I'd probably be in line behind Murata."
"Murata-kun seems to always be their target."
"You got that right."
"Speaking of which, where is our manager?" She looked around the court but only saw their teammates continuing their practice on the field.
"He's still on vacation with his family since his classes won't start until next week."
"Ahh, I see, I see…" She looked away from Yuuri as she started pulling off her clothes and slipping in her baseball uniform.
Yuuri glanced at her direction. "Why? You miss him?"
Sakura blushed all different shades of red and looked away from her. "Of course not! It's just fun having a manager to cheer us on and fetch us water and towels during practice." She defended.
Yuuri raised an eyebrow at her and sighed. "Well, not to burst your bubble, but I do think he's into guys."
Now it was Sakura's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Huh? But he's really perverted to women!"
"I'm pretty sure it's just a wall he puts up," Yuuri shrugged, "and besides, I've seen him half naked in a room full of women, and trust me, there was no bulge."
"Maybe they just weren't his type?" Sakura suggested.
"Possibly, but I still think he's gay…"
"How are you so sure about this?"
"Because he is constantly flirting with a very big, and buff blonde man."
The air was still; the atmosphere quiet. All eyes were on one certain person at the front of the room. He had his head down, the light gleaming on his glasses.
Yozak glanced towards the double black and, in an attempt to ease the tension, chuckled. "Hey, Your Eminence! I wonder who your crush is, ey! I'm sure all the priestesses at the temple would be very jealous when they find out about this!" In truth, he already knew who Yuuri was talking about, as he is one of the people who is aware that his soul still hangs around the temple, causing trouble. Although not everyone knows this, and so he had to find a way to draw the attention away from the idea that he was in love with Shinou.
Playing along, Murata brought out a grin as well. "You're right, Yozak! They would be jealous when they find out about these claims Yuuri is making!"
"Yes! Oh, what a lucky guy this person is to have the attention of the Great Sage!" He sighed, dramatically.
The both of them stared at each other before laughing hysterically, nearly falling on the floor.
"Oh, good one, Yozak! A good joke expected from the kingdom's top spy!"
"Aw, Your Eminence! Is it possibly me?" Wolfram teased. "I'm flattered!"
Murata glared at him. "Oh, ha. Ha. Ha, Lord von Bielefelt."
Wolfram and Yozak were in hysterics, but no one noticed the actual blonde in question from the top of the bannister.
When Yuuri had finished changing into her uniform, she went outside and joined her team for practice.
She led them through their practice which consisted of: Whiffle ball batting, skill building warm-ups, playing catch practice, skills and drills, batting practice, and scrimmages.
All the while, she was acting like an actual leader — gone was the naive seventeen-year-old everyone thought her to be, and in turn was a leader — a queen.
Once Yuuri had noticed the sun had started to set, she stopped her team from continuing and told all of them to hit the showers. "All right, you guys! I'll see you on Wednesday!"
She and one of the youngest members on the team started packing up the balls, bats, and gloves. This was usually Murata's job — not hers, and whoever's turn it was amongst the newest members, but since Murata wasn't here, she might as well do it herself.
When she was done, she was one of the last people in the showers, and immediately finished. She didn't want to be left alone — she knew the three idiots knew she was part of the baseball team and could be waiting for her to be alone. The chances of them attacking her again in the same day were slim, but she wasn't going to take that chance.
She managed to finish fast enough that she had caught up to Sakura and another girl. They all walked together out of the park, before separating and going their own ways home.
"That is how baseball actually is?" Wolfram asked.
Murata nodded. "Yes, I guess it's hard to teach a sport to someone who's never actually played it before."
"I'm more impressed with how much of a leader she was." Gwendal smiled.
"Brother… are you proud?" Conrart smirked, his scarred eyebrow raising.
"Any subordinate of a child-queen such as her would be proud."
When Yuuri got home, she parked her bike outside before heading into the house. "I'm home!" She called, removing her shoes and putting on her house slippers.
"Yuu-chan!" Her mother called, most likely from the kitchen. Yuuri walked into the kitchen and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek in greeting. "Care to help me out with dinner?"
"Do I have a choice?" She sighed, pulling out her apron from the cupboard.
"No need to sound so rude, Yuu-chan!" Miko Shibuya scolded, getting a clean spatula and bopping it on Yuuri's head.
"Ow!"
"Now, go and get the carrots and the chopping board!"
During the hour and a half it took Yuuri and her mother to finish cooking dinner, Shori and Shoma Shibuya arrived home from school/training and work respectively. Shori set up the table, and Shoma took a seat on the couch in front of the TV. His share of work wouldn't be until after dinner when he'd be the one to wash the dishes.
"Dinner is served!" Miko cheered, bringing in a pot of curry to the dining table, Yuuri following behind her with the pot of steamed rice. They all sat around the table and dug into their food, unaware of the audience staring dreamily at the food on the table.
"I'm salivating…" Yozak, along with some other people watching, licked their lips as they stared at the food that was just cooked.
"I miss mama-san's curry!" Wolfram and Murata cried, remembering the rich taste of the curry they had whenever they were in the Shibuya household.
"I miss those pickles…" Gwendal whispered.
"Miko Shibuya is the epitome of a housemother," Murata explained, "she made sure no one ever got hungry and that included guests and strangers."
"She was so hospitable when we visited Earth to search for the final box — even though we dropped in unannounced," said Conrart.
"I swear, if Yuuri wasn't as physically active as she is, she'd probably be rolling around like a keg of beer — too heavy to walk or carry herself," Murata joked.
After eating, Shori and Yuuri brought out the plates, and Shoma readied the sink and dishwasher. Miko was beside him, ready to help. It was his job to do the dishes, but Miko couldn't bring herself to not help out with the chore. Anyway, the couple used this time in their busy days to catch up with each other and play and talk like the youngsters they once were.
Upstairs, Yuuri was in her room. She had already started on her homework and was glad her teachers was still lenient, since it was still the start of the semester. She finished her homework after about two hours, most of it being half-assed. She didn't really care much for it, anyway. The work were for subjects she didn't particularly like, so she didn't really put much effort into it unlike some of the others.
She put her work in her bag and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She came back to her room and lied down on her bed and closed her eyes, instinctively curling up to her side and reaching for something that, in this world, wasn't there.
Upon realizing she was holding onto a blank space, she opened her eyes and suddenly remembered where she was. She rolled on to her back and stared at the ceiling. "I miss you, Wolf."
After staring at the ceiling for a couple of hours, she let sleep take her away to a world where she could see Wolfram, even if it was just in her dreams.
"So, I guess that marks the first day!" Murata cheered. He turned around to face the visitors, his hands on his hips like Superman. "Well? What did you all think?"
"Earth seems like a very complicated world…" One of the humans pointed out.
"Tsk! If you think what you just saw was complicated, just you wait until we encounter topics about politics and social issues!" Murata flinched.
"As you're watching Yuuri in this world, you tend to forget that she is an ordinary human in that world," Saralegui pointed out. "I admit, there were a few moments when I expected someone to bow down to her or call her, "Your Majesty", but it never happened. It's just weird…"
"You are right about that, King Saralegui," Waltorana nodded, sharing the same sentiments as the young human king. "Is Queen Yuuri able to use her magic in this world?"
"She used it a total of two times only," Murata remembered. "The first was when she was angered by Bob, the Demon King of Earth, and the second was when we had to deal with some certain monsters that tried to block our usual route back to this world."
"I see… and would you say the effects of using her magic in the other world weakens her more than using it in this world?"
Murata cupped his chin and hummed. "Hmm… well, as of now, I can't answer that question — since she's only done it twice." Waltorana nodded, Murata's answer to his satisfaction.
"Oh, Your Eminence!" Lady Celi cried. "Will we be able to see Bob soon? I heard so many wonderful things about him, and he sounds like a handsome man!"
"MOTHER! CONTROL YOURSELF, DAMMIT!"
"Now, Wolfram, don't swear at your mother!"
"Also, it's kind of weird seeing Yuuri not in charge — like during that meeting they had. I guess I'm just used to Yuuri being the one with the crazy ideas and you lot following him, knowing it could be a huge risk," Lady Flynn explained.
"Well, in the other world, Yuuri isn't exactly known to be the responsible type. I mean, do you remember how she was when she first arrived in this world?"
Gwendal and Gunter shuddered at the memory.
Gwendal, coughing into his fist to gain some composure, walked to the front of the room. "I think it's time everyone went and had a rest. We will pick up again tomorrow at the same time once Her Majesty has awakened."
Everyone agreed and left the room to go their separate ways, except for some of Yuuri's close alliances — Saralegui, Lady Flynn, Antoine, Heathcriffe, and even Alford and Adalbert."
"Well, I'm glad I get to learn more about the little brat…" Adalbert huffed.
"I hope you don't mind, but we still have some questions to ask, Your Eminence." Lady Flynn smiled.
"No problem. How about we all move to the dining room for some dinner and tea to accompany our discussion?"
"That would be lovely."