Chapter 9: Sun’s Rays Reflected on the Sea, Part 4
“Juncheng, no! You can’t go there~”
“No! I insist!”
“Ah, but! You, there… it’s going to be filled!”
“Ora ora!”
“Don’t leave me behind, Father~ I won’t let you succeed, ah, no, I should call you Husband now~”
“Wait, slow down! That’s not right!”
“…Heehee, like this, I’ll be the one to be filled!”
“…Alright! There, there… Aah~”
“Ugh! No! It’s… it’s coming out!”
In the end, that sinful little hand filled it.
Xiao An happily let out a cheer.
“All done! I’m the first one to finish~”
“Tsk, it was just one step away… It’s your fault for blocking my way! Li Nai!”
“Hey~ It was Juncheng who blocked me, you know.”
“It’s precisely because you two blocked each other that I had an opportunity, you idiots! Mwahahaha!”
Damn it… It was just one step away, and in the end, all my efforts were in vain.
Li Nai and I truly have no chemistry; we only hinder each other. If we were to participate in a two-person three-legged race, we’d probably trip and fall the moment we took the first step.
Oh, let me explain first, don’t misunderstand. The three of us were just playing Checkers.
We weren’t doing anything illicit, nor were we doing anything that would be covered by ellipses.
The time is now New Year’s Day, 3 PM on January 1st.
About half a day has passed since Xiao An declared her intention to marry Father.
Xiao An seems to be serious about it.
This seriousness can be seen from the surrounding environment.
Outside, preparations for the wedding of Her Highness the Queen, Xiao An, are in full swing, and it seems the wedding is to be completed today.
It turned out this way because in the morning, Xiao An suddenly decided, for some unknown reason, that she wanted to be my Bride.
She immediately took action, dragging me in front of all the islanders and babbling something that caused the crowd to erupt.
Then, people began to busily prepare something.
Lanterns and decorations were hung, and the atmosphere shifted from celebrating New Year’s Day to preparing for a wedding.
It was truly a national effort…
And even now, I’m still confused as to why Xiao An suddenly said something like that.
You know, the previous Xiao An would never have said, “I’ll be Father’s Bride,” not even if the world was ending.
Thinking back to how Xiao An used to treat me, she never called me Father. But today, she’s been calling me that nonstop.
She’s also been acting cute and coy, completely different from her previously tsundere personality.
Regarding this change, I was too lazy to ponder her inner thoughts and simply asked her.
But she wouldn’t tell me.
Well, that’s understandable, how could she possibly tell me…
Then, because we had to wait for the wedding venue and preparations to be completed, and the waiting time was too boring, Li Nai and I were called to play games with her.
I immediately saw this as a good opportunity. I managed to pique Xiao An’s competitive spirit and convinced her that if she won the game, she would grant us our freedom.
With my powerful intellect and calculation abilities, I was confident I could crush any game. Besides, Xiao An doesn’t have a video game console, so it would likely be Go, Chess, or some other board game.
Let me mention, even though we were playing Checkers, the ropes tying my and Li Nai’s wrists were not untied.
You ask how we played?
With our feet, of course! With our feet!
Ah! Damn it! The more I think about it, the more frustrating it gets!
“Hahaha~ Want to play another round?”
Li Nai, you heartless fellow, you’re still laughing! Laugh at what! And you want to play another round, you’re clearly having fun too, right?
“Another round~ Another round~ But even if you win this time, I won’t let you go.”
Tsk, what’s the point then?
“Sure~ We have nothing else to do anyway. I find playing chess with my feet quite interesting~”
It’s hopeless… Li Nai is absolutely a terrible teammate, the kind that can’t be saved.
The two of them excitedly prepared to continue the game when a young lady knocked and entered, kneeling on one knee to report to Xiao An.
“Oh, it seems to be ready. Then let’s proceed with the wedding quickly~”
“Eh? Wait, hold on! Getting married all of a sudden is too reckless!”
“It’s alright, Father. If you don’t believe me, come outside and see.”
“What?”
Xiao An glanced to the side, and a guard lady came up and untied me. Then, she put her arm around my shoulder and led me to the display stage where Xiao An had appeared before. Xiao An also linked her arm with mine, and we appeared together.
At this moment, the crowd had gathered in front of the castle again.
Upon seeing us appear, they began to cheer wildly.
“Everyone on the island is celebrating the birth of our new king.”
“That’s right! I am the Queen of this island, and if you marry me, you will naturally be the King.”
“Haah?!”
Hey, hey, wait a minute. Did I become King just like that? Don’t you usually have to scheme, form factions, and play…
Is it because the place is small?
And how can I, an outsider, inexplicably marry the Queen and have these islanders accept me and even adore me as their king who suddenly appeared?
There are just too many points to complain about, I can’t even begin to complain.
I’m completely speechless.
But there are more speechless things to come.
“All right! The announcement is over. Next is the formal wedding ceremony. — Hmm! Father! Let’s go to the hot spring first!”
Even with my wildest imagination, I was stunned by Xiao An’s illogical statement.
Hot spring? What is this all about? What is the necessary connection to holding a wedding?
Li Nai, with her surprisingly curious mind, began to inquire.
“Hmm? Hot spring? There’s a hot spring here too?”
“That’s right. On the other side of the island, there’s a dormant volcano with natural hot springs all over it.”
“Heh~ Lucky~ Juncheng, look, we got to soak in the hot springs after all~”
“Hey, hey, hey, this isn’t something that can be brushed off with ‘lucky~’ By the way, why are we going to the hot springs at this critical juncture? It’s really strange, isn’t it!”
“It’s part of the local wedding customs, Father. The bride has to ‘cleanse’ herself before putting on her wedding dress. Ah, not that kind of cleansing, you know? It just means we need to wash our bodies with the natural hot springs.”
It seems the wedding customs are different…
While I was still contemplating, the guard ladies lifted me and brought me to the top of the castle.
At the top of the castle, there was a flying vehicle that once dominated the sky in the last century.
“Since it’s quite far to the other side of the island, we need to take an airship. We’ll have a banquet on the airship during the journey.”
“It’s already prepared to this extent…”
And I underestimated the power of this small island too much.
It looks like an undeveloped, backward island, but it actually possesses a considerable level of technological advancement? Well, the guard ladies are already holding automatic rifles to my head.
And they’re all independently developed, impressive.
SF Light Novel
It seems this island, no, this Yamatai Kingdom, is much more advanced than I imagined.
And the island itself has no contact with the outside world, meaning all the scientific technology is developed independently by the islanders… I once experienced the loneliness of researching alone. Though they seem like a group of eccentric citizens, they are actually quite capable…
No, now is not the time to lament the progress of civilization.
But I have no way to escape right now. As long as Xiao An is watching me, my spiritual power can’t spread to control others.
Damn it, if Zero hadn’t forcibly weakened me, I wouldn’t be suppressed like this.
In the end, Li Nai and I were forced to board the airship and head towards the hot spring mountain on the other side of the island.
Since brute force and spiritual power are both useless, I have no choice but to use my trump card. Regardless of gender, age, or…
That’s why, during the arguments between Lianbing and the others before, they would often stuff my mouth with various fabrics (mostly panties and socks) to prevent my verbal attacks. <3 “Xiao An, listen to me…” “Wait! Xiao An! Father is going to get angry! Marriage is a lifelong event, how can you decide so carelessly? Besides, although I’m not your biological father, I’m at least an adoptive father, you can’t…” Xiao An furrowed her little brows at my words. Oh, it took effect! See, this is the powerful effect of a verbal attack! “…Fine, I can’t help it. Then let’s have one last round of Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide if I should marry you, Father.” “Mm-hmm, that’s right. Be careful—? What?” “One round to decide the winner. Rock—…” Uh… I really didn’t have time to react. Xiao An had already made the gesture. I reflexively raised my hand, waved it, and put it down. “Paper! Yes, I’m Scissors, Father, you’re Paper, I win~” “Uh, wait!” My body reacted instinctively. My brain didn’t process it, and I didn’t have time to use Thought Acceleration. The victory was decided in an instant. “Heehee~ I win~ So the result is the same, I still want to be Father’s Bride~” “….” Damn it, I forgot that Xiao An has been with me for too long and has been influenced and molded by me. She’s a master of timing herself! “No, no! How can something as important as marriage be decided so casually by playing a game!” “Hey, you’re so stubborn. You have keen insight and can sense others’ emotions, but sometimes you’re like an idiot and ignore them. You’re such a troublesome man… Father, do you hate me?” “Here we go again! Not hating equals liking, right! I’ve heard this routine countless times! I do like you….” “I like you too, so it’s fine.” “That’s not the same thing at all!” I’m going crazy! Damn it, why is it so hard to communicate with Xiao An! “Father, haven’t you decided who you want to marry yet?” “That, yes, that’s right…” “So, that means I’m not good enough? I’m not among Father’s candidates for the main wife?” Looking at Xiao An’s calm expression, I was taken aback. That’s right, by pushing her away like this, I’m repeatedly emphasizing, “I don’t want to choose Xiao An as my wife.” In other words, I’m refusing her. But I decided long, long ago to accept everyone. Am I not violating my own creed now… I managed a wry smile and reached out to Xiao An. Did I get verbally attacked by her instead? The sweet Loli revealed a sweet smile that melted hearts. A slight upturn of her lips carried immense joy, and she clasped my hand… “I love Father the most~” “There’s no doubt about it. When it comes to finding Juncheng, I won’t lose to anyone!” “Hehehe, you have the nerve to say that. I thought everything was accounted for, but unexpected airplane crashes happened. Weren’t you in a panic, searching for Juncheng all over the world?” “Mmm-. Well, didn’t we find him in the end!” “That’s right. Let’s not argue for now. In any case, let’s find Juncheng first.” “Sister Jiuyuan went ballistic the moment she heard that Brother’s plane had crashed. It was a big deal for her to use her great spiritual power to search and provide clues.” “I just… I just… don’t want to have any more regrets!” “Things like that…” “No one wants that.” “No one does.”
