After moving to the new location, we regrouped with Kagurazaka-san and the others, then hurried to tidy ourselves up. Everyone was covered in dust and splattered with blood, so we had to clean and restore our clothes as well.
I finished getting ready a bit earlier than the others and was talking to Mom on the phone.
『So, are you really okay?』
「Yeah, I’m fine. Everyone’s safe, and the Prime Minister and the government officials are all unharmed too」
『That’s good to hear. Anyway, Yuuki… I have good news and bad news』
「Huh? Out of nowhere?」
『So, which one do you want first?』
「Hmm, let’s go with the bad one first」
『Alright. The bad news is… the recorder ran out of space』
「What?」
『I said, it’s full! I was recording your battle the whole time in high definition, and it filled up completely!』
「Oh… I thought it was something serious」
『It ‘is’ serious enough!』
「Okay, okay. I think Watanuki-san’s nearby, so I’ll ask her to come over」
『Got it. I’ll buy a new one just in case』
「Okay. So, what’s the good news?」
『It seems your actions are getting a lot of positive attention. They’re even running a special feature about it on TV right now』
「Seriously?」
『Dead serious. Turn on the TV and see for yourself. But wow… cutting a helicopter clean in half? It was like watching an action movie!』
「Wait, that part was caught on camera too…?」
On the screen, I could see footage of me slicing through the helicopter and shots of the destroyed guesthouse.
「Wow… that’s some serious damage」
『Well, you did get hit by a missile』
「True… honestly, it’s a miracle we all made it out alive」
『You had me on edge the whole time』
「Sorry for making you worry」
『It’s fine. You were protecting your wives, weren’t you? You deserve praise, not scolding』
「Mom…」
『Still, you better not die before showing me my grandkids. Hurry up and give me some, will you?』
「Mom… that would cause all kinds of social problems, so give me a bit more time, okay…」
『Anyway, just come back safe』
「Got it」
『Oh, and your father was worried sick and tried to call, but you don’t have to. I’ll handle him』
「Wait, really…?」
『Yes, but he’s being ridiculously dramatic right now』
「Alright, please do」
『Okay, okay. Take care, then』
After finishing my call with Mom, I immediately contacted Watanuki-san and asked her to go to my mother’s place.
「Phew…」
When I looked at the clock, I saw it was almost time.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Not long after, I received a message from Mom on the app saying 『I got it～』. Around that time, I finished preparing and joined everyone else in the waiting room. When the time came, a staff called for us to head to the venue.
「When the event starts, please enter once your name is called. Also, if any reporter uses a flash, you may destroy that camera on the spot.」
That’s… quite an extreme thing to say, isn’t it?
「Eh? Destroy it?」
「Yes. As agreed beforehand, all flash or strobe photography equipment has been collected by our staff. We’ve also instructed them not to use it during shooting, but if they still ignore the rules, we cannot take responsibility for their equipment.」
「But is that really okay? Doing something like that…」
「Yes. We’ve warned them multiple times. If they still refuse to comply, then it can’t be helped.」
That look in her eyes… she’s dead serious.
「Understood. Then I won’t hold back.」
While I was talking with the staff member, the host called for us.
Once we were guided inside, I saw a long conference table lined with chairs in a single row.
I could hear the sound of shutters clicking, but few cameras were aimed at me. Most of them were focused on Aerith, Yuffie, and Yuki.
After we sat down, the host began the proceedings.
First, Prime Minister Miyada spoke about the rising death rate among young people, especially men, within dungeons, as well as the increase in casualties caused by unauthorized entries. Reporters flipped through the distributed materials while graphs were projected onto the screen one after another.
Then came the Q&A session, where questions from reporters were addressed.
「Next, we’ll have Prime Minister Miyada explain the new polygamy policy soon to be implemented in Japan.」
With that, Prime Minister Miyada began his explanation.
「There are several factors behind the introduction of this system. The first is the growing number of deaths and serious injuries in dungeons. The second is Japan’s ongoing issue of declining birthrate and aging population. The third is the cultural difference between our world and the other world.」
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