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Last Embryo Volume 1 Chapter 5 Part 6

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Editor: Weasalopes

「Probably because she just wanted to look cool in front of all those people. What a showoff.」

「I have to agree with senpai here, because I can’t think of any other reason for her to be doing something so over the top.」

「So awful! Sacrificing a perfectly good, ready to eat meal for such a selfish reason is just too cruel! Call the culinary police on her!」

「Oh will the three of you just stop making a scene already?! I had no choice, all right?! As one of the Divinity holders, I have to be mindful of my appearance and maintain a properly regal conduct at all times, especially when meeting someone for the first time so I could make a sufficiently stunning first impression, since those are important no matter where you are! As is establishing the proper hierarchy-based relationship, wouldn’t you agreeeee….. *Growl*… 」

Morphing from a giant white snake into a white kimono-clad beauty, Shirayuki-hime glared at Homura and then bared her fangs at him in anger, pointing at him with her hostility-filled finger.

「YOU! Yes, I am talking to you, so don’t look so surprised! At first I though that your resemblance was purely coincidential, but it would seem that you are indeed master’s younger brother!」

「M-Master? Are you talking about Big Bro Iza? Because if you do, then Suzuka is technically his little sister as well, so the same rule should apply to her.」

「Huh?」

Perplexed, Shirayuki-hime tilted her head to the side.

「Nu? Nunu? Nununununu? I can’t say I see it as clearly as in your case, but if you say so then it has to be true indeed, but that is not important right now. What’s really important is that if you truly are the inhabitants of the same world that master came from, it means that I can use all three of you as a proxy for getting back at him for all the humiliations he has subjected me to!」

「「「Thanks, but no thanks! I refuse!!!」」」

「Ughhhh, okay, that settles it! The three of you really are the kin of that brutish simpleton! Thankfully I have predicted something like that might happen, and so I came prepared!」

Shirayuki-hime looked like she has fully resolved herself to go through with that absurd idea of hers, turning towards Kuro Usagi while glaring daggers at her and still breathing heavily from the accumulated tension.

「Honorable Kuro Usagi, as I said, I heard everything you have been talking about, so I understand that those human children have found themselves in a rather unpleasant situation and you wish to help them in every possible way, but no matter if they are your family or your friends, giving them money for free is just a bit too much, don’t you think? No matter how you look at it or how they might claim otherwise, but they are still children of adolescent age, so showing them that they can get their hands on something they desire simply because they have the right connections would be catastrophical to their education. It is our duty as their elders to show them the proper value of obtaining the things you want with your own hard work.」

「Y-YES, you’re absolutely right?! My goodness, that was such a perfectly sound and reasonable argument that I am at a loss for words!」

「I don’t know about that. If you asked me, then I’m not buying what she says at all. I mean, we are the first-time guests here so it should be obvious that we might be confused about some things or not know how to behave, and yet if I remember correctly you were the one who caused us a great deal of inconvenience because of something as petty as falling on your head, am I right?」

Homura countered her sound argument with an even sounder comeback, but just as you might have expected, Shirayuki-hime decided to ignore it altogether.

「So in order to make it up to us, wouldn’t if be fair for you to personally invite us to a Gift Game so that we could get some first-hand experience in them, eh, Shirayuki-hime?」

「Heh, if that is what you really want, then very well, I might just play along with you.」

Shirayuki-hime just glared at him with squinted eyes and flashed him a confident smile while baring her sharp fangs. Seeing that, Kuro Usagi became slightly more nervous, twiddling her thumbs and muttering some gibberish like 「Is it just me, or is Lady Shirayuki-hime looking more and more like a certain someone who for our own safety shall remain unnamed by the day?」

Homura and Suzuka exchanged glances with each other. Their answer has largely been decided, but there was still one thing they had to make sure of.

「Well, it’s true that we need to get as much experience in Gift Games as possible if we want to seriously think about taking the harder ones on in the future, but…can we really trust you to be fair with it?」

「And are we going to get the reward if we manage to win?」

「Of course. If you manage to win the game I will prepare for you, then you can have one of my spare Gifts, you have my word for it, umu umu.」

Shirayuki-hime nodded her head, seemingly satisfied with herself. If she seems to be enjoying herself so much with it, then I guess there’s no reason to distrust her words for now, Homura consented. Taking one last look at Suzuka, both of them exchanged affirmative nods, happy from reaching an agreement. The only one who still remained slightly suspicious here was Kuro Usagi, but seeing that she was evidently in the minority here, she had no choice but to sigh heavily and agree to this whole endeavor without saying a single word of protest.

「Okay, okay, fine. If all of you are so hell-bent on doing this, then I will act as the Judge for your game.」

「Judge?! You can do something like that?!」

「Fufufu, of course I can! Even though I might not look the part, I am a part of the 『Nobility of Little Garden』, one of the select few bestowed with the Gift of 『Judge Master』, so as long as the participants of the Gift Game are within the hearing range of my magnificent ears, no one will be able to get away with telling a single lie or cheat, YES!」

*Usaaa!* Her rabbit ears perked up as if they were proud of being praised so much. Those were some great news for them, because it really took care of the problem of their opponent trying to engage in foul play just so they could secure the victory for themselves. With a satisfied grin, Shirayuki-hime jumped back to the water with a splendid backflip, and emerged back from under its surface as her giant-snake self once more.

「Now that everything has been settled, get on. I shall take you to the place where we will have our game.」

「On it!」

「Just so we’re clear about it, going underwater is a huge no-go, okay?」

Contrary to Suzuka who seemed to be very eager about the prospect of hitching a ride on top of a giant snake Homura was still somewhat suspicious, but ultimately decided that it would be best if he could enjoy the incoming ride as much as possible. Standing up from her seat, Kuro Usagi glanced sideways towards the single person who has remained calm throughout everything that’s happened without letting her emotions get the better of her: Kudou Ayato.

「Well then, we should probably get on as well before Lady Shirayuki-hime leaves us behind. Oh, and by the way, Miss Kudou?」

「What is it, Kuro Usagi?」

「I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but… haven’t we met somewhere before?」

「……. No, I do believe that this is our first time meeting one another.」

She replied with a calm, emotionless voice, but for just a brief instant Kuro Usagi could swear that she saw the corners of her lips lifting up in a lonely smile. Smiling herself, she decided not to pursue that matter any further for now.

「Never mind that in that case. Now then, let’s go and see what kind of game Lady Shirayuki-hime prepared for you!」

And she went forward, her shirt swaying in the gentle wind, marking the beginning of their exploration of the Underwood.