Love You

Chapter 28

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VOLUME 1

Season 1, Episode 8

Episode 8:

"Where is this "a.s.sembly Hall"?"

Having realized that, after dashing out of the front door in a surge of heroic pride, she was unfamiliar with this so-called "a.s.sembly Hall" and had utterly no idea regarding its whereabouts, Rosalie stopped a middle-aged couple happening by in order to ask them the faithful question.

Her rather strange appearance seemed to shock the couple, but it didn"t take them long to find their feet, even when faced with such an odd situation.

"By "a.s.sembly Hall", you mean…?"

"Ah, you must be looking for the National a.s.sembly Hall, right?"

"That"s right. I wish to go there."

Her delicate features had hardened, conveying her seriousness regarding the situation.

"I have a duty that I must perform. I must go there."

The couple, hearing the timbre in her voice, felt her unwavering determination and immediately gathered that something important must be up.

"In that case dear, do you know how to ride a train?"

"T-Train -?"

As Rosalie scratched her head in confusion, the male half of the couple seemed to have come to a decision.

"Mama."

"Yes, Papa?"

"What we do now, our every word and action, can cause this girl"s impression of the j.a.panese people to change, for better or worse."

"Oh my, Papa! You"re taking the macro view of everything, that"s what makes you so irresistible!"

"Oh no, Mama! You"re the one who"s irresistible! Anyways, if we leave her with a good impression here, I"m sure she"ll return to her country and tell everyone about it. At this moment, we are, even in some small way, standing at the pitch as j.a.pan"s representatives!"

"Papa, you always have such a clear and decisive view of everything!"

What a youthful couple indeed.

"In that case, what is there to even consider? We should personally escort her wherever she wishes to go!"

"We"ll go anywhere with her, be it fiery chasms filled with monsters or through where the devil resides in the deep blue sea!"

And there you have it. Rosalie had just gone and gotten herself an escort service.

Just before leaving though, the woman pulled a small cell phone out of her bag.

"That"s right! We"ve got to tell Shun-chan about this too!"

–

Rosalie was gone.

"Rosalie…?"

Shun looked blankly around the living room. In the silence that followed, the sound from the television rang out loud and clear.

"That prime minister, he"s the king of demons! The ruling party is the demon"s army, and the a.s.sembly hall is their evil fort! This has all been predicted! The truth is, having dedicated years of my life to the research of the Holy Scriptures -"

"And now, time for the commercials! We"ll be back soon after the break."

Shun turned to look at the television, speechless.

N-No way! She couldn"t have… could she?

Shaking his head, Shun tried to wipe clean that sinking dread at the pit of his stomach.

Knowing her, she"s probably just upstairs opening some drawers. He"d better go look for her now before -

"Beep, beep! You have one unread message."

From his pocket came the uniform, automated voice of the telephone operator.

s.n.a.t.c.hing his phone, he flipped it open, proceeding to read the message before completely and utterly turning into ice.

—–
Sender: Mama

We"re now escorting a foreign girl (She seems to be super into cosplay! So cute, loves!) to the National a.s.sembly Hall. Managed to come home early for once, but, like, you know, we"re out on j.a.panese Representative (Isn"t this just so cool!) business. I know, it"s too bad, isn"t it, dearie. >.

Well, farewell! Until we meet again!
—–

By the way, just as a side note, you should know that Shun had already gotten used to his parents immature ways by now.

–

Shun lived in Shikishima, a huge city with a population count of around 10 million people.

From there, it would take one about 30 minutes on the Chūō Line to reach Shinjuku, which was at the heart of the city, and at the next stop, the Yotsuya station, a change of trains to the Marunouchi Line. Then, another two stations away from there and one would arrive at the National a.s.sembly Hall.

"Well then, this is where we part ways."

Emerging from the exit of the underground station, Rosalie bid farewell to the couple.

"Right, Rosalie-chan. We"ll be heading off first, okay?"

"The main entrance to the National a.s.sembly Hall is just right beyond that corner, dear. Now remember, as soon as you"re done with whatever you have to do, come home to us. We"ll be waiting for you."
The couple"s att.i.tude towards Rosalie had, very obviously, undergone some major changes, perhaps due to the interactions between them as they journeyed with her.

"Rosalie-chan, you"re almost like our very own daughter now!"

In response to the couple"s overwhelming display of warmth and affection Rosalie gave a very awkward nod. Then, lifting a dainty foot, she headed determinedly towards her goal. Walking along a pathway lined with Ginkgo trees, beyond tall iron fences lay the National a.s.sembly Hall, lit up with bright starry lights within an inch of its life.

–

"This castle is extremely unsettling."

Rosalie muttered under her breath while staring at the pa.s.sing buildings.

Couldn"t blame her, really. What with all those whitewashed, new-fangled buildings around the city, clouding over the night sky, it was no wonder that Rosalie found it creepy.

And then, within a few minutes of strange architecture, she found herself planted right at the doorstep of the National a.s.sembly Hall. Bravely stepping forward, Rosalie was about to reach for the door when suddenly -

"Excuse me, miss!"

A security guard had halted her. Rosalie"s confusion was apparent.

"May I enquire what business you have here, miss?"

As was the beauty of the j.a.panese culture, he remained unfailingly polite, even given the strange circ.u.mstances.

"Is this the place known as the "a.s.sembly Hall"?"

Rosalie shot him down with her own question.

"Yes, indeed it is."

An affirmative.

By that time, more security guards had already gathered around to watch the scene, especially given Rosalie"s rather uncommon choice of clothing. In fact, there seemed to be more guards around that day, as compared to the usual two or three.

Maybe someone got worried after hearing the rumours of the terrorist acts online.

Another guard piped up with a question.

"What is going on here?"

"Err… Well, you see…"

"Are you here for an educational visit, miss? If so, I do apologize, as the National a.s.sembly Hall is already closed for today and -"

Argh, all that noise was really getting to her!

Grasping her pendant, Rosalie pulled out her sword.

–

"I"ve come here to slay the one known as the "prime minister"."

The security guards, in their surprise, had turned into pillars of salt.

"I am a heroine! In order to save the people of this world from their suffering, I will beat the evil "prime minister"! That"s the reason why I have come here!"

A declaration of war, followed by a flourish of her sword. A secret treasure of the dragon tribe, the sword"s body glowed an ethereal white underneath the dark night sky of Tokyo.

Sensing the danger, the security guards immediately regained their senses.

"Please move aside."

Rosalie"s voice was steely and her eyes flashed.

As one, the security guards stepped back and held up their thin metal bats. A show of dedication that was worthy of praise.

People from everywhere started crowding around the area. Some ran down from the bus parked opposite, others stopped short in whatever they were doing just to watch the scene unfold.

Awkward though it was, Rosalie could feel wisps of enmity directed at her from the people surrounding her. Raising her sword, she swung the tip down, a trace of light following the path of her swing.

Her voice echoing through the clouds, Rosalie gave a declaration.

"In that case, I have no choice."

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