Yo! Mobuko here!
Thanks to a personnel shortage that had reached its absolute breaking point, I somehow ended up as the head of the Imperial Military Police.
It was pretty weird, honestly.
I had been named the head of Emperor Veronica-chan’s fleet, but then she told me something incomprehensible: “That means you’re the head of the Imperial Military Police, you see.”
On top of that, without me even noticing, the title of General Commander of the Military Police of the Grand Duchy of Chronos had somehow sprouted onto my record.
I was shocked when I saw the appointment in my message box!
Well, the salary doubled, so I guess I can’t complain.
And that’s not all! Apparently, they were making a movie about me!
It was supposed to be a reverse harem story where a bunch of handsome guys pursued Mobuko!
But then the finished movie was sent over...
Tough Rivals (Handsome Guys)...? Reverse Harem (Hard-hitting Action)?
Why?!
In the end, there wasn't a breast in sight. It was just a bunch of machos with man-pecs and gravelly voices running wild—explosion after explosion after explosion...
God... would the day ever come when I could actually get married...?
Mobuko—Riko Sakazaki—wanted to get married.
Ideally, I would have been a stay-at-home housewife. Mobuko had no desire to work!
I wanted a life where I didn’t have to work and could just draw doujinshi all day long.
And yet, dreaming of such a modest life, I was out here commanding security.
I didn’t have guard duty for Leo-kun today.
Since I was just in command, I was able to visit my friends from the former Manga Research Club.
Chronos was a developed nation with a very high level of public order.
I made it to the Manga Research Club booth without any trouble.
Since I had been graduated from the University Division without my knowledge, I still felt like a student.
I thought the only one who was actually a student was Kevin-chan, who was supposed to be in the Faculty of Medicine.
He had originally wanted to be a medic and ended up with a nursing qualification, but then he said he might try for the Faculty of Medicine since he was advancing to the University Division.
He told me that before he knew it, he had been credited with completing four years of study.
Apparently, he was having a rough time since he had to take the National Medical Examination soon.
Though, he was already helping out with surgeries as a matter of course.
The more I heard, the more I realized we were all covered in bizarre special exceptions.
Leo-kun was the same.
In his case, he was in the Faculty of Law, but he’d been sent a degree in Social Policy.
Then he started shouting, “That’s not enough!” and submitted an application to a university in the Imperial Capital.
I mean, university professors were already analyzing Leo-kun’s diplomatic reports and his practical reports on interpreting local laws.
I heard they were telling him, “We’d rather invite you as a professor.”
I see. So we were effectively serving as the front line of the empire’s Civil Officials...
Anyway, still feeling like a student, I visited the Manga Research Club booth.
It was quite large... actually, they’d rented out an entire building.
It wasn't just the Manga Research Club; the Photography Club, Art Club, and Literature Club had booths there too.
There were even booths where trading companies and the like were scouting for talent.
The Chronos Branch was short on in-house designers.
It was supposed to be just a doujinshi distribution fair, but the atmosphere was completely different.
The Literature Club had “Commentaries on Outer Space” and “Current Events Reviews.”
The Photography Club had planetary photobooks, as well as collections of photos featuring vehicles, heavy machinery, and civilian aircraft.
Civil officials with bloodshot eyes, university academics, and trading company scouts were snapping them up.
I suppose that made sense.
It was precious information from the front lines, after all.
Since Leo-kun was basically free-to-use material, they even turned his failures into content.
Like the time everyone ate snacks that were unpopular with the Latarnians.
Records like that were selling like hotcakes too.
Erotic content was banned for the Manga Research Club’s doujinshi.
That was because we still didn’t know exactly how far we could push the envelope in Chronos.
There were a lot of original manga.
Many of them had already been picked up for publication in the Empire.
Just the fact that members of the Kamishiro Squad had drawn them was a massive promotional boost...
Publishers had also brought in huge quantities of translated versions of the latest manga.
It looked like they were doing some market research as well.
Those were also flying off the shelves.
Illustrations and merchandise were selling well, too.
Man, this was not what I expected!
I greeted my old friends from the club while wearing a standard military uniform that leaned toward formal dress.
“Yo! How’s it going?”
“Ah! Rikochi!”
“Here’s some stuff for you.”
I handed over the energy drinks and snacks I’d bought at Cervantes.
I certainly couldn't pull off the same kind of stoic act as Leo-kun, saying things like, “If my people can’t eat, then I won’t eat either!”
I honestly thought Leo-kun’s behavior was bizarre.
If that’s what it took to be a king... then I truly didn't want the job.
Leo-kun... he really was a monster, wasn't he?
Was that really what it meant to be a hero?
Yeah, no thanks. Not for me.
I was eating properly.
I ate my snacks.
“Also, sweet potatoes!”
Roasted sweet potatoes were being sold in bulk.
Actually, that was all that was left in Chronos.
The government had bought up the entire supply and was selling them at a low price.
That was how the people of Chronos had narrowly avoided starving to death.
“Thanks!”
“Photography and Literature guys, you have some too!”
“Thanks a bunch!”
The Photography and Literature clubs were happy too.
We, the gloomy introverts, lived by huddling together for warmth.
Though lately, I’d realized that the athletic extroverts lived similar lives—they just had different roles.
Anyway, I was thinking about buying some doujinshi for myself...
Then the alarm went off.
It came from the Joint Headquarters of the Military Police and Chronos Police.
“Suspicious truck approaching. It’s flying the Flag of Proone!”
Proone?
A Rebellion of Proone?
That was impossible.
There were nothing but children left in Proone.
Well, there was one boy who hated Leo-kun... but apparently, even he was planning to take the entrance exam for the Imperial Officer Academy.
Adult survivors?
No, Proone didn't have the capacity to develop a Humanoid Fighter from scratch.
They only ever customized base frames bought from Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, or even Ghouls and the Pirate Guild.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
I deployed my combat suit.
It was a piece of equipment made specifically for me.
Essentially, a transformation suit.
Armor plates deployed from my backpack, turning me into a full-armor unit.
However, my only weapon was my Urumi.
“Take this!”
A boy from the Photography Club who was also in the Military Police handed me a pulse rifle.
“I’ll head out as soon as I’m ready.”
“I’ll be waiting for you in hell, brother.”
I gave him a thumbs-up and headed for the scene.
I heard some girls saying, “Wow, Rikochi is so cool...” but it didn't make me happy.
As I walked with a heavy clanking sound, people started taking photos of me.
I gave them a thumbs-up in greeting.
“It’s dangerous, so stay back,” I warned them.
For some reason, even the photographers said, “Man, she’s cool.”
“Captain Riko, should we prep the Usapyon?”
“Please.”
I was Riko Sakazaki, and I was nearly twenty years old.
I wanted a boyfriend!
I wanted to be a stay-at-home housewife.
Someone! Give me a groom!