A Saniwa's Duty

Another Reality

"Are you really going to leave us?"

Sayo's voice was small, but his question was loud enough to quell the cacaphony of voices that usually filled the lobby, especially when the entire current populace of the citadel was seated and gathered for another meeting.

It was well into the afternoon, and had been a few days since the excursion with her brother. With the threat of the school year looming closer, it was now or never.

"It's not like that," Chiaki held up her hands defensively, sweat running down her face. "I'm just... going to be in another universe for the meantime."

"To do what?" Taroutachi asked, from the doorway to the courtyard.

"Y'know, human things. Like going to school to learn and stuff. Hang out with friends." Try to live my old life back, this last thought she kept to herself.

The looks on their faces were more inquisitive than ever, which prompted the saniwa to explain further.

"I won't abandon my duties as a—as your saniwa," she reassured them. "I just won't be around here as often as you guys expect me to since you guys won't have 100% of my attention now."

"Why though?" Horikawa inquired.

Chiaki almost made a face, but stopped herself before she could. "Guys, I'm like, fourteen. I have a lot of things I want to accomplish in my short, mortal life. You don't expect me to use up all that time here, do you?"

The looks on some of their faces indicated that was a yes.

"Don't worry," Tetsuo piped up, from his spot by the wall adjacent to his sister, causing them all to turn their attention to him. "As her big brother, I solemnly swear to keep her dumb ass out of trouble at all times. I've done it for the past five years, so why is now any different?"

He flashed them a reassuring smile, which did not do much to convince the rest of them.

Chiaki let out a sigh. "Look guys, I know this sounds all so sudden but you have to trust us. I already trust you guys to run this place while I'm not around, so please trust me when I say I'm not completely abandoning my duties."

"It's not just that," Kashuu said.

"Then what?"

"Your... mother," Hasebe finally speaks out.

"What about our mother?" the siblings ask simultaneously.

"It's quite strange that we haven't seen her," Nagasone notes. "We only know she's come by when Kuroba-san mentions it."

"She's a busy woman," Tetsuo replies. "Can't blame her for being so damn good at her job that she was made a high-ranking military official."

"Are you expecting her to take over for me?"

"No," Kasen admits. "It's just... something we've been meaning to ask for a while now."

"Is that all?", Chiaki asked, incredulous as she quirked an eyebrow. She was certain they wanted to ask her something more than that.

"Won't you need caretakers though?" Hachisuka pointed out. "Like a chef, perhaps, or a butler or—"

"What? No!" the saniwa said, making an X with her arms. "I got my uncles to watch after me and big bro. And my aunt whenever she's in town. You guys should just stay here to keep operations running smoothly."

"Do you not want us to come with you, then?" the same toudan pressed further.

Oh boy.

"It's not like that either!" Chiaki said, now flailing her arms about. "It's just that you guys uh-" They looked at her expectantly.

She stopped her mad motions and heaved a sigh. "I'm just worried that if you guys come with me, you'll end up attracting unwanted attention."

"You guys have been living as humans for almost three months now," the saniwa continued. "And even though you're adjusting quite quickly, you still have a lot to learn."

"Where we're from," Tetsuo interjected. "Life isn't as simple and easygoing as it is here in the countryside. There's so many things to keep track of."

"Like what?" Midare inquired with a tilt of his head.

"A lot more than that," the blond pointed to the holographic screens that lined the walls. "Like an entire new culture, more complicated tech, more things that require vast amounts of knowledge. Just... a lot more than what you've gotten used to."

If you've gotten used to it yet, Chiaki noted, recalling just how much work needed to be gradually explained to every newcomer that arrived, and how much progress they'd be able to accomplish. Some of them still struggled with navigating the virtual landscape, leaving the AIs to handle most of the bulk. Not that she blamed them anyways; it was indeed a lot to take in at first glance.

Most of them were now lost in thought, pondering the seemingly endless possibilities that still lay ahead of them. Others were not deterred by their statements, giving them determined looks.

"No matter what challenges may hold, we'll do it all for aruji!" Mutsu exclaimed loudly, causing several of his comrades to look at him.

"Yes, of course," Izuminokami said thoughtfully, hand on his chin. "It was you who gave us purpose, and one of those purposes is to serve you in all your endeavours."

"Indeed," Souza added softly. "We've come this far and learned plenty from you. What's a little more?"

This caused a ripple of murmurs to engulf the gathered crowd, as they all agreed with each other and amongst themselves, talking about their own personal achievements.

It was all quite endearing and heartwarming, to say the least, for the young saniwa, who felt a soft flush creep up her cheeks.

Wow, is my dumb ass really that good at this job?

She didn't want to admit it so soon either, but she was glad to have obliged the offer of going through this whole ordeal.

"Alright," Tetsuo's voice cut clear through the warm din of the lobby. "We'll see what we can arrange, alright? We still have to think things through."

"Everyone's dismissed for today. Thank you all for coming," his sister bowed to her plethora of warriors. They all stood up and bowed, a symphony of "Thank you as well, Master" ringing about before they dispersed, resuming whatever activity they'd been doing prior to the meeting.

"We really need to ask mom about this."

"Agreed. If she's not busy, anyways..."