Chapter 22: Ai is Mad at Aqua
Aqua and Kuro stood outside the Student Council Room, which was a massive door that Aqua felt was bigger than even a shipping warehouse door. The door was just massive. Did they get a workout just opening this? At his current age, he felt like he'd be trapped by the weight of the door if he was left alone in there.
Kuro opened the door with very minor difficulty and entered inside. The room was more like an office, which made sense since this was the Student Council. The furniture looked expensive and there were decorations everywhere.
"Kuro-Sensie, to what do we owe the pleasure?" A feminine voice said in a very formal way.
"Shinomiya, it is good to see you dear." Kuro smiled.
Aqua could kind of tell that the Student Council felt a little uncomfortable around Kuro, which didn't surprise Aqua. Kuro may be tolerated here because of her intelligence, but it doesn't change that she's still weird.
There were four teenagers in the room, a blonde haired young man behind the desk, dressed in a school uniform with a golden necklace of some kind. Near the desk, standing with a cup of tea, was a dark haired girl that he vaguely felt was familiar. This was a famous school for the children of Japan's elite, so he probably saw her once in the paper or the news.
On the couch was a pink haired girl in the same schoolgirl uniform messing with a board game. Next to her, was a boy with long dark hair that covered his face and a slouched posture that looked like it hurt his back.
"We have a little problem that we need help with." Kuro said.
"We'd be happy to help." A blonde man said from behind the desk.
"This young boy ran away from home and got lost in the academy." Kuro explained.
"How did he get in?" The blonde guy asked.
"We don't know, but we're trying to contact his mother and need you to watch over him until we do." Kuro explained.
"He's so cute!"
Suddenly, a pink blur ran over to Aqua and scooped him up. Aqua yelped as he was immediately crushed in the arms of a very energetic girl. Aqua began to suffocate as his face was buried by her very large breasts.
Why are her breasts so big anyway?
"Fujiwara, you're hurting him!" Shinomiya said.
"But he's adorable!" She yelled back.
She relaxed her grip, allowing Aqua to take a breath after nearly suffocating. Fujiwara hoisted him up so he straddled the side of her hip as she held him like a child, which he was.
"Please put me down." Aqua requested.
"Wow, your Japanese is so good!" She said in a baby like voice. "He's such a smart little guy."
"Anyway." Kuro got their attention. "I'll need you guys to watch over him while we try to find his mother."
"We'll handle it." The blonde guy said.
Kuro walked out of the club, leaving Aqua alone with the crazy pink haired girl and her friends.
"Hi little guy, I'm Fujiwara Chika, what's your name?" Fujiwara asked.
"You can just call me Kaguya." Kaguya smiled.
"I'm Miyuki." The blonde guy said.
"I'm Ishigami." A guy sitting on the couch said, paying very little attention.
"What's your name?" Fujiwara asked.
"Aqua." He said.
"Wow, cool name." Miyuki said.
No, it isn't.
"Is it because of your eyes?" Kaguya asked. "They're so pretty." She smiled.
"Yes." He said. "Can you please put me down?"
"We need a picture!" Fujiwara said in excitement.
"No we don't!" Aqua yelled.
"Ishigami, can you please take the picture?" Kaguya asked.
"Sure." He shrugged.
"I'll put him in the middle!" Fujiwara said in excitement.
With no care for his own opinion, the group of teens forced him to sit in the center of the couch as they took a picture. He was squeezed between the two women as Miyuki stayed on the side. With a small flash, the picture was taken.
"I'll need to send this to my ride home, since we may have to stay later." Kaguya said as she sent the picture through her phone.
"Yea, until we find his mom." Fujiwara said. "Do you want to join the Student Council Aqua-Chan?" Fujiwara smiled.
"No." He said.
"Can I hold him?" Kaguya asked.
He's four, not a freaking baby. Can't they just do what they were doing and leave him alone?
"Sure." Fujiawa smiled as she handed Aqua over to Kaguya.
Kaguya set him down in her lap as she stayed seated.
"So, President, have you ever thought about what kind of kids you wanted?" Kaguya asked sweetly.
"Well-" Suddenly, Miyuki froze.
Aqua looked at him as he started to get nervous, as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle of defuse a bomb. What was with him? It's only a minor question.
Kaguya on the other hand, looked up at him slyly, as if she was messing with him. She had a sweet yet coy smile on her face as she looked at Miyuki.
"I have no time to think about that, I have to focus on school too much. That's still a long ways away." He said nervously.
"But surely you must have imagined it." Kaguya said sweetly.
She held Aqua closer to her, as if she was almost posing with him. Aqua looked back and forth between the two teenagers and wondered what was going on. It's like they're playing a mental game with each other.
"Maybe imagined who you would want that child to be." Kaguya said.
"I am simply too busy for that." Miyuki suddenly got more confidence. "But what about you Shinomiya?" He turned the question to her.
"Me?" Kaguya asked.
"As the heir to the Shinomiya conglomerate-" She's the what? "You would need to ensure that one day you have a kid of your own, so that begs the question, what would you need to have?"
"W-well-" Kaguya stuttered. "Obviously I'd need to make sure my kid is well educated." She said.
"But what about a husband?" Miyuki asked.
"H-husband?" She stuttered.
"You'd need to consider what kind of man you'd need to marry, after all, he would be with you in the conglomerate, right?" Miyuki asked.
"Well-" She tried to say.
"So, what kind of man would you marry?" He was starting to sound like a villain.
"Yea Kaguya." Fujiwara chimed in. "What kind of guy would you want to marry?"
Kaguya was frozen, completely unsure of what she should say. She squeezed Aqua a little bit due to the nervousness she felt.
Is this what Kuro meant by their bet on who would confess first? Are they really so shy that they have to do these dumb mind games? Can't they just say it out loud and get over their shyness?
Aqua was never this shy in school in his previous life. He wasn't exactly popular with girls, but it's not that hard to go on a few dates or just ask a girl out. He's had a few relationships before his death, just never married any of them.
These two though, were completely helpless.
"No one would be crazy enough to marry Shinomiya." Ishigami said.
"Excuse me?" Kaguya's shy demeaner morphed into a scary and murderous one.
"She's too strict on how she spends her time, anyone she marries would get stuck working for her business, and she wouldn't have time to actually do anything. Not to mention she doesn't have very sweet or motherly instincts."
Aqua could instantly tell the kind of guy Ishigami was. Honest to a fault, and completely lacking in social cues.
Aqua felt himself get lifted from Kaguya's lap and placed into Fujiwara's lap. Kaguya stood up and walked over to Ishigami.
"What?" He said, not realizing the danger he was in.
LINEBREAK
After that whole issue, Aqua was sitting down on the couch as the council went through their end of the day work. Minus Ishigami, who was busy cleaning the shelves for the third time after getting an earful from Kaguya.
"Hey, Aqua-Chan." Fujiwara called.
"Yes?" He asked.
"What do you think of the Academy, do you think you ever want to attend?" She asked.
"No." He said.
"Really, why not?" Kaguya asked. "In a few years, if your grades are good, I could put a word n to the school to accept your application."
And be surrounded by a school of the nation's elite? No thank you.
"I honestly think I'd rather be a doctor or something." He said.
Aqua wouldn't mind going back into his old job. He loved being a doctor and especially helping women give birth. The look on a new mothers face as she has her first child was something he always looked forward to.
"What a sweet thing!" Fujiwara said. "He wants to help people."
"Even then, being a doctor will be tough." Miyuki said.
"I know." Aqua said.
"It requires a lot of studying. You'll want to make sure your grades are up to par."
Aqua had to remind himself that these teenagers are just trying to be nice. There's no way they could know that he already went through medical school and is already a certified doctor.
"I'm sure I'll learn over time." Aqua said.
"He sounds so confident." Fujiwara smiled. "He might actually do it one day."
Suddenly, Kaguya's phone vibrated, and she took it out of her pocket. She looked at the screen and read the message for a moment. Aqua saw her face light up in excitement.
"Wow!" She said in excitement.
"What?" Miyuki asked.
"My... driver, said that his mom is coming over to get him." She said.
"Ok." Ishigami said skeptically. "Why are you so excited?"
"It's Ai from B-Komachi!"
"What!?" Aqua yelled.
How the hell does she know? Did Ai throw caution to the wind and just tell some random person that she's an idol? Now their secret is completely out in the open.
"Really?" Miyuki asked.
"That's so cool!" She said in excitement.
"Wait, Ai has a child?" Miyuki asked as he turned towards Aqua.
"Et-" he said before...
"Wow!" Fujiwara scooped him up again. "Your mama is famous!"
"Let go!" He yelled from the extremely hyper girl.
"My driver said to please keep it secret, since she could get in a scandal if she's found out to have a child." Kaguya said, reading the new messages on the phone.
"That's no problem." Fujiwara said. "My dad is a politician, so we're used to those kinds of things." She said.
"Yea, I have no issues with that." Miyuki said. "It's nice to hear that she actually has a family. I heard it can be tough for idols."
"Still, we get to meet Ai." Kaguya said excitedly.
"Yea, I've watched every one of her shows since I was a kid." Miyuki said.
"Huh?" Kaguya asked.
"Yea, I've been a fan since her debut." He said. "Come to think of it, that explains her medical break four years ago." He said, looking at Aqua.
"Idols are a complete waste of time." Ishigami said.
"Huh?" Fujiwara asked.
"They're lying and manipulative people who sell a fake personality in order to win over people and get money. They create a fake persona and don't show their real selves and create a culture of rabid fans and obsessed fan boys who waste their lives away. The whole idol culture is a stain on our society." Ishigami said.
Talk about bringing down the mood.
"Well, we'll just ignore him." Fujiwara said.
"You're not even going to acknowledge what I said!?" He said sadly.
"We've got to make sure everything is clean!" Miyuki ordered. "Ishigami, keep cleaning the desks. Fujiwara, vacuum, Kaguya and I will make sure the couches are clean from any crumbs."
"Yes Sir!" Fujiwara said.
"Of course President." Kaguya said gently.
"Aqua, we'll need your help too." Miyuki said. "Go and clean off the desks and make sure it's organized." He flashed a thumbs up and a charming smile.
"No." Aqua said.
"But-"
"I'm not interested in cleaning your guys mess to see my own mother. If anything, I'm going to get in trouble when she sees me. But thanks for watching me." He said.
These kids were completely insane to him. But, at least they were nice and understanding of Ai's situation. Ishigami was his only worry, since he reminded him a bit of Ryosuke, but he's harmless. He seems like he hates idols in general and doesn't care for it. So that was a relief. He was socially awkward, but harmless.
Right as they finished cleaning, Ai walked through the door.
He wasn't worried. Ai wasn't the kind of woman to get upset or angry, maybe a light punishment like last time.
He was so wrong.
"Thank you so much for the escort Hayasaka-San." Ai said as she was escorted to the front gate of the academy.
"I'll have to wait here, since my lady needs an escort home." Hayasaka said. "Our driver was told to head home since she was going to be late, so I'll need to stay here."
"I understand." Ai smiled.
"And it was nice meeting you Eren-San." Hayasaka said in English.
"Sure." He nodded back, his own way of returning the goodbye.
"I hope you enjoy the autograph." Ai said.
"I will." Hayasaka blushed. "I look forward to the concert this Saturday. I heard you can get a shot at the Tokyo Dome if it goes well."
"That's what they say, but we'll see." Ai laughed.
After parting ways, Eren and Ai walked through the academy gates and followed the directions to the Student Council Room.
Eren was looking around, as if taking in all the detail. The Academy had a very similar look to the palace in the Interior, where Historia became the queen. It wasn't as nicely decorated but had the same general idea with the large windows on the wall. Clearly, this place of learning was for the wealthier people in this country.
Ai marveled at the academy. She never did much schooling since she spent so much time as an idol. In terms of her education, she was somewhat lacking. Ai wasn't dumb by any means, but she was very uneducated compared to many other Japanese people her age. Most of her skill sets came from dancing, singing, and acting. Outside of that, she'd struggle to find real work.
Still, this academy was amazing. She'd love to study here if she was ever reborn or something. It had such a nice smell and presence that it made her feel welcomed.
"Wow, big door." Ai said out loud.
"Were you talking to me?" Eren asked.
"Sorry." She laughed. "I said it's a big door."
Eren just shrugged.
Ai opened the door to the room and saw inside. Normally, she'd marvel at the design and cleanliness of the place but was not at all focused on any of that. She was only focused on the small child standing in the center of the room.
"Hey Ai-" Aqua almost fell over as Ai slammed into him.
Ai almost slid on her knees as she kneeled down to hold him. The worry from earlier finally leaving her shoulders as she held her son in her arms possessively and protectively. A weak and low breath escaped her lips as she forced herself to relax.
"Are you ok Aqua-Chan?" She asked as she started moving him around to inspect him.
"I'm fine." He said.
Ai tiled his head around and moved his arms to inspect every part of his body. Were there any bruises, was he skinny from skipping a meal? Was he well hydrated? Did all his joints work?
"Are you sure?" She asked cautiously.
"Yes." He said.
She sighed in relief. He was safe and sound, no injury or damage. She was so relived that he was ok.
Aqua predicted this reaction. She always worried about him, especially after Ryosuke. So, he knew that he would be fine and maybe get a small grounding.
"What The Hell Were You Thinking!?" Ai screamed.
"I-"
"I don't want to hear it!" She yelled again, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears. "Do you have any idea how worried I was!? What made you think of running away!?"
Truthfully, he had no lie prepared. It was a target of opportunity, a chance to be close to the academy to meet with Kuro, that he had very little planned. He saw an opportunity and took it.
But he did not expect Ai's reaction.
"You're grounded!" She yelled. "You won't be allowed outside until you're an adult!"
Ai was just releasing all of the fear she felt. She wanted to throw this child out the window. She wanted to spank him or hit him with her shoe to make sure he fully understood how worried she was. She had so many punishments that she didn't intend to give him, but once she calmed down, she'd give him a more appropriate punishment.
"Sorry?" Aqua tried.
"Sorry doesn't cut it!" She said angrily. "You're never leaving my sight again! I don't care if I have to bring you on the stage to keep you in my sight!"
Never in his two lives, did Aqua believe that Ai would be capable of getting so angry. If he was a child, he might cry.
Actually, crying could-
"Don't even think about fake crying!" She caught on.
Damn.
"I'm sorry Ai." He said.
"I forgave you a while ago, but you're still in trouble." She said.
Suddenly, Ai remembered that there were other people in the room. The Student Council were standing in the corner of the room, clearly terrified of the short woman. Eren was leaning on the doorway, waiting patiently for Ai to finish her disciplining.
"Sorry." She said as she stood up. "I didn't mean for you to see that."
"It's quite alright." Kaguya said. "I completely understand."
"Yea, he did kind of deserve it." Fujiwara said.
"He's a delinquent and you should watch out for him." Ishigami said.
Dick, Aqua thought.
"Thank you so much for watching him." Ai smiled, her personality switching to her idol persona.
"It was our pleasure." Kaguya said.
"At least we got to meet you, it's a real honor to meet you." Fujiwara said.
"I've been a fan since I was a kid." Miyuki said. "Since you debut almost eight years ago."
"Well, I am always glad to meet fans." Ai said cheerfully.
"Is that your husband?" Fujiwara pointed to Eren. "He's really handsome." She said.
"Oh, no. He's a friend." Ai waved off.
"Who is your husband?" Fujiwara asked.
"Fujiwara, that is a private thing to ask." Kaguya said.
"Oh, sorry." She said.
"You're a single mom?" Miyuki asked.
"President!" Kaguya berated.
"Well, yes I am." Ai said. "It's a secret I have to keep for my career."
"Why stay in, if you don't mind me asking?" Miyuki asked.
"Well, I love being an idol." She smiled and flashed a peace sign. "Bringing love and happiness to people with my singing and dancing fills me with joy. I am lucky to have so many dedicated fans."
The entire Student Council swooned over Ai. Her terrifying motherly anger was so far from their mind now and all they could see was the beautiful idol in front of them.
"I heard you're the next in line for the Shinomiya conglomerate." Ai said, pointing to Kaguya.
"I am." Kaguya said.
"That must be a big responsibility." She said.
"You have no idea." Miyuki laughed.
"What about you?" Ai asked. "You must be the son of someone important."
"No, I'm actually a normal guy." He said. "I had the top testing scores and was allowed to enter. Truthfully, my financial situation isn't the best."
"That's amazing." Ai smiled as she patted his chest. "You must be so smart."
Miyuki blushed at the compliment. Kaguya saw the blush and suddenly started to feel jealous. She made a small pout that was barely noticeable, however, Ai noticed it.
She smiled coyly as she realized what was going on. Kaguya was obviously having feeling for Miyuki and was worried about Ai. It was kind of cute.
"Are you and lady Kaguya dating?" Ai asked.
"W-what?" Miyuki stuttered.
"O-of course not!" Kaguya denied. "I mean, there are a million of other things I need to do besides date. I couldn't possibly ever date him right now- I mean ever! Ever."
Ai wanted to squeal. They were so cute trying to deny each other's attraction.
"Of course." Ai giggled. "Even if you two look so cute together." She pushed.
"C-cute?" Kaguya blushed.
"I mean, if Shinomiya wants to admit her attraction to me, then I won't deny her request. It would be ungentlemanly." He said.
"The gentlemanly thing to do would confessing any attraction you might have first. If I had to, I would accept any invitation from him, mostly out of pity." She said.
Ai would believe that, if they weren't currently blushing and looking away from each other. It was so cute and made her miss her teenage years, ignoring the fact that she's only two or three years older than the.
"So, sir, why are you so hurt?" Fujiwara asked Eren.
Thank goodness, a distraction, both Kaguya and Miyuki thought. Ai pouted as her little show just ended.
"Sir, are you ok?" Fujiwara asked.
"He doesn't know Japanese Fujiwara-San." Ai explained.
"Oh, that's easy." She said. "Why are you so hurt?" She switched to English.
"Work accident." He shrugged.
"You're a foreigner, right?" She asked. "What country are you from? America?"
"Ukraine." He said.
"Really, where?" She asked. "I went to Kiev once, though it was lower on my list of trips personally. I love Dubai more, but where'd you grow up?"
"Crimea." Eren said.
"Oh cool, what's it like?" She asked.
"Fujiwara, that's enough questioning." Kaguya said.
"Why, I'm just curious." She said.
"Because Crimea is not a place he probably wants to talk about." She said.
"Why?" She asked.
"Eren was a victim of the invasion of Crimea." Ai said.
"There was an invasion?" Fujiwara asked.
"How did you not hear?" Miyuki asked. "Your dad is a politician!"
"Because it's so boring!" She said. "I hate it when I hear my dad talk about work. Internationa politics can just get so boring sometimes."
"He was conscripted in the Russian army, so-" Ai was interrupted.
"Ai, please stop talking about me." Eren said.
"Sorry." She said.
"I thought you didn't know Japanese?" Fujiwara asked Eren.
Eren stayed quiet, not sure what she was saying to him.
"Do you know Japanese or not?" Fujiwara asked in English.
"No, but I can read context clues." He said. "Despite what people say, I'm not stupid." He looked away in annoyance.
"I'm sorry." Fujiwara said sadly. "I guess I was curious, I like meeting foreigners, and you're pretty handsome too." She blushed.
Now Ai narrowed her eyes at Fujiwara, worried that she had a crush on Eren. Fujiwara was probably two or three years younger than Eren, which would be completely fine for dating. Fujiwara also had a huge advantage over Ai, two advantages to be specific.
Kaguya noticed. So, she did like him? This could be some good payback for what Ai just did to her.
"He is handsome, it's amazing that Ai-San hasn't dated him yet." Kaguya smiled slyly.
"W-what do you mean? We aren't dat-" Ai stopped as she realized what Kaguya just did.
Ai glared at Kaguya, who smiled in triumph. Both women burst into giggling at the little moment they shared, admiring each other's ability to prank the other.
Aqua looked between the two women and wondered what was going on. Was there some secret language they shared that he didn't understand?
"Well, we should leave." Ai said after recovering from her giggling. Before we do, I'll share my number." She said.
"Really?" Miyuki asked.
"I can give you guys backstage tickets, plus autographs if you want as well." She said.
"That would be awesome!" Kaguya said in excitement.
"Yea, we get to go live to a B-Komachi concert!" Fujiwara exclaimed.
"We still have to pay." Kaguya said.
"No, it's a gift." Ai said.
"Please, I understand that idols don't make much, and I am very wealthy. I will pay for everyone's tickets. At least let me have that honor." She said.
"Ok, I'll allow you to." Ai giggled.
"Would Eren-San like to go as well?" Kaguya asked in English.
"Go where?" He asked.
"My next concert." Ai explained.
"I don't have a choice, so sure." He shrugged.
"Nope, you don't." Ai laughed.
After saying their goodbyes, Eren, Ai, and Aqua left the room and made their way home. Ai got her phone back and called Miyako to come get them from the academy.
The Council did some last minute things before they left as well. Kaguya made her way to the gate, where Hayasaka was waiting. Hayasaka was leaning against the gate as she walked over. She was on her phone, browsing social media.
"I hope you enjoyed your meeting with Ai." Hayasaka said.
"It was pretty amazing." Kaguya said. "I'm glad to meet her, we got some tickets and I'd like for you to come as well."
"I'd be honored lady Kaguya." Hayasaka said, hiding her excitement.
"Where's the driver?" She asked.
"He couldn't wait long, so I told him to go home and I'd escort you home." She said. "He had a family emergency, plus we could use the walk."
"Then it can't be helped." She waved off. Hayasaka made the right call, since the mental welfare of her servants was an important thing to Kaguya.
"That Eren guy was strange to me." Hayasaka said.
"He did seem hurt." Kaguya said.
"Those injuries weren't from a work accident." Hayasaka said.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I talked with Ai, she said he got those from a collapse at work." She said. "But I'm medically trained in case I have to treat you for an emergency. Those wounds were caused by fighting, not a collapse."
"Why would they lie?" Kaguya asked.
"I don't think she was lying, I think he lied to her." Hayasaka said.
"I think you're overanalyzing it." Kaguya waved off.
Kaguya saw movement to her left. A white van pulled up right next to her and Hayasaka, stopping for a moment.
Before either woman could react, the door opened and two men came up from an alley behind them and pushed them towards the open door. Kaguya tried to scream but a scarf was placed over her mouth before she could make a sound.
Hayasaka tried to fight the men off, using her basic self defense skills to try and fight them off, but they were too strong and surprised her before she could react. She was shoved into the van as the men got on top of both of them to pin them down.
The scarf was tied between their teeth, muffling any kind of protest or call for help. Their arms were bound behind them with handcuffs and a bag was placed over both of their heads, completely blocking their vision.
Kaguya tried desperately to scream, do anything to let someone know she was in danger. The door to the van was closed and she felt the van start driving away.
"Careful, Oyabun Yoshida only needs the rich one." She heard a voice say.
"Calm down, I got them silenced." Another voice said.
"What about her friend?" He asked.
"We'll just have to bring her, this was not planned very well so we'll need to take her. We'll get rid of her later." A voice said.
Kaguya struggled harder when she heard that. Get rid of Hayasaka!? Absolutely not! She had to get help, she didn't want anything to happen to her loyal servent and friend.
"Good thing the Akuma No Ko got her alone." One said.
The Akuma No Ko!? The westerner who was working with the Yakuza and killed thirty people last night? She never even saw a westerner... unless.
Hayasaka struggled as well, coming to the same conclusion. To her, it made sense. Eren was a westerner and had fresh injuries that were related to fighting. Was this a trap? Was he manipulating Ai and her son to get lady Kaguya alone so they could kidnap her?
"Calm down, we have no interest in hurting you Shinomiya. You're just a piece in a game." One man said as Kaguya struggled.
"You girl, not so lucky." A man said to Hayasaka.
"For now, do what we say, and we won't hurt your friend." A man said.
Kaguya relented, relaxing and following their orders so as to spare Hayasaka from danger.
"We'll keep her for now, she can be used to keep rich girl compliant." He said.
Neither girl could do anything as they were driven away to an unknown fate.
Bet you weren't expecting that lol. Yup, Kaguya and Hayasaka were kidnapped. Hope you guys didn't think this was going to just be a one time cameo lol. There will be consequences.
One thing I like in writing crossovers is the butterfly effect idea. Eren influences the story by his presence. Because the Yakuza were watching him, they saw a moment where Kaguya was alone, because Aqua caused her to be late coming home and put in a vulnerable position.
As for why they kidnapped her, that's a secret for now lol.
Hope this was a good chapter and I hope I got the Love is War humor lol. It's a difficult kind of humor to replicate, so I hope it ended up making a few people laugh lol.