Unlimited Ambition

"That's enough. Almost. Haruhi's been pushed to the brink, hasn't she?" Kotoko muttered to himself, tapping the table. Yuki then obediently poured him a cup of tea. Come to think of it, after this period of training, Yuki has become increasingly adept at serving people.

So cute!

So, Haruhi, you should sometimes learn from that. While being arrogant and haughty is certainly a trait, not many people actually control it. At least, that's how I am.

However, it was impossible to just leave her alone. Gu sighed softly, then took out a digital phone—a cute gadget that could freely send communication particles through wormholes and instantly reach infinite distances.

Humans are truly remarkable; they actually managed to create something like this. I'll give you a 60 out of 100.

As he sighed, he dialed Spring's phone number.

……

"That guy—no way?!"

At this moment, Chunri was lying in bed, sulking. When she heard her phone ring, she picked it up with slight annoyance, thinking to herself: If it's just some boring spam text message, I'll let the telecom company find out and execute it.

However, upon seeing the seemingly familiar phone number in front of her, Haruhi paused for a moment, momentarily lost in thought.

...This—no way?

Chunri jumped out of bed in an instant.

A somewhat distant memory finally surfaced. It was sometime...it seems like several years ago, when someone I called "Kyū" told me: "If you need anything, call this number." It was my new phone. I almost always carry it with me.

Over the years, if Haruhi needed anything, she could just call out from downstairs and I would hear her. Otherwise, Haruhi and I were practically inseparable. So Haruhi had almost never dialed this number.

For the same reason, I didn't call Haruhi many times.

However, they still remember this number.

"Damn it, that bastard!" Haruhi raised her phone high and threw it to the ground.

However, it must be said that the quality of this digital phone is really good. Despite being treated so roughly by its owner for a trivial reason, it still adhered to its duty, managing to play a slightly melancholic and dejected ringtone.

"Honestly... her taste is awful," Chunri muttered under her breath, because I had chosen the same ringtone for her as mine. She then got out of bed, picked up her phone, and pressed the answer button.

"Springtime?"

"...Idiot! Call me Empress!"

"So... let's make up?"

……

Springtime threw the phone to the ground again. Then she stomped on it hard. With that, this high-tech phone finally completed its historical mission.

Springtime later regretted it.

But just like spilled water can't be taken back, a broken phone can never be restored.

"Fool."

Springtime jumped back into bed and then sulked, hugging her pillow.

At this moment, Mikuru carefully tiptoed, trying her best not to make any noise, and walked up to Haruhi.

"Sanguru? Didn't I tell you not to bother me?" Empress Kasuga said with slight displeasure.

"I'm so sorry... but this... is for you..." Mikuru kept apologizing as if she was startled, which looked quite cute. Then she handed over her phone with both hands.

Chunri's heart skipped a beat. Although she tried her best to resist taking the phone, she couldn't hold back in the end. She grabbed it, clutching it tightly as if it were a precious treasure. She watched from the sidelines.

Mikuru tiptoed and quietly ran out.

Springtime picked up the phone again.

"Hey……"

"Springtime?"

"……Yes."

"What's your decision?"

"……What's up?"

Throughout the conversation, Haruhi spoke in a dreamy, dazed tone, indicating that she was indeed under a lot of pressure.

"The matter of making up."

Chunri froze for a moment, then tears streamed down her face uncontrollably: "—What are you saying?! After betraying me, you destroyed the army I sent, then drove me to the brink of despair—and then you put on a kind smile and said such disgusting things—are you an idiot?"

Chunri continued complaining, endlessly complaining—until she realized that I hadn't said a word the entire time.

"You idiot Kyon, are you even listening?"

"You idiot, Kyon, say something!"

"Speak up! Answer me now!"

"Kyon! Kyon!!! Speak up, Kyon!!"

"Don't ignore me, don't leave me alone again! Kyon!"

“Kyon…” Haruhi cried again, “Don’t leave me… don’t… I’ll never be so willful again. I’ll never be so immature again… I’ll give you anything you want… please don’t leave me…”

"...Is that so?"

Just then, my voice came through the phone again. Haruhi, as if a drowning person had grasped at a straw, answered in an almost neurotic voice, "Yes! Really! I absolutely don't lie to you—this empire, the throne, everything else, I'll give you whatever you want… Please don't leave me…"

"Will not."

"?"

"It seems I went a little too far this time..." I said hesitantly.

“No—it’s all my fault—Kyon—no, Wright, you did nothing wrong—” Haruhi hurriedly said.

"So, everything was your fault, Haruhi?"

That's right.

"Very well." Gu chuckled lightly. "Then let's sit down and have a friendly negotiation to end this. Is that alright?"

"Okay—whatever you say, Wright!"

Do you miss me?

"Of course I want to!" Even though she knew I couldn't see, Haruhi still nodded eagerly.

"Then come see me in person. I'll be waiting for you on the front lines..."

After that, Haruhi wanted to say something more, but she heard me hang up the phone.

"Finally, it can be over..." Haruhi murmured to herself.

An hour later, the Imperial commanders at the front were surprised to find that Baldwin's army, which had just been relentlessly pursuing them and suffocating them, had stopped attacking.

One hour and fifteen minutes later, Grand Duke Baldwin announced a truce and invited Empress Suzuhime of the SOS Empire, his ex-wife, to a meeting to discuss ways to peacefully resolve the conflict.

Empress Haruhi Suzumiya, disregarding the objections of the vast majority of her ministers, gladly accepted my proposal.

Peace doesn't seem to be that difficult.

Chapter Twenty-Five: End and Return

"Speaking of which, you really went too far." Yakumo Yukari, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, entered Kogoro's office, nearly scaring the several bodyguards, who were former special forces soldiers, to death.

Then, just before the bodyguards were about to draw their guns, Gu waved his hand, without even looking up, and simply said, "One of us." At the same time, he continued to review official documents.

Afterwards, the well-trained bodyguards quickly put away their guns and stood ramrod straight like statues.

"I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately," Yakumo Yukari said, pressing her advantage.

"You may all leave," Gu waved his hand again.

Although he felt somewhat uncomfortable, an order was an order. The bodyguards, all with military backgrounds, saluted him and then silently withdrew.

As the soldiers walked out, Yakumo Yukari couldn't resist hugging him from behind.

"Ah, it's been so long, I've really missed you," Yukari Yakumo said.

"Didn't we just meet yesterday?" Gu said, then raised an eyebrow, put down his pen, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

I'm a little unhappy about Yakumo Yukari interfering with my life like this.

"Isn't it said that a day apart feels like three autumns? So we haven't actually seen each other for three years."

"Three years?" Gu Qing chuckled and joked, "Then you're already twenty years old?"

"Hmm?" Yakumo Yukari instantly showed signs of turning to the dark side.

I almost forgot that this guy is abnormally concerned about age.

I rolled my eyes: "Pretend I didn't say anything."

Yukari Yakumo then turned her anger into joy.

"So what brings you here?" Gu asked, slightly impatient.

"Can't you come if there's nothing wrong?"

I rolled my eyes: "Don't you know how busy I am right now? I don't have the time to chat with you."

"Is that so~" Yakumo Yukari gave him a 'you're kidding me' look: "Didn't you also spend the whole night with that girl until dawn last night?"

"That's called a balance between work and rest—you were spying on me?!"

"Oh ho ho ho ho... I'm not the only one. Guess who else is there?"

"Who?" I asked.

“Someone you know.” Yakumo Yukari’s smile was half mocking and half gloating. “If you still can’t guess, here’s another hint: it’s a close relative you know.”

In that instant, the image of my underdeveloped younger sister flashed through my mind.

WTF? !

At this moment, I felt an unprecedented headache. It felt like my eyes were about to explode. Right now, I had absolutely no power, except for some simple tricks that ordinary people could perform. This old headache was going to be deadly when it flared up again.

"What's wrong?" Yakumo Yukari asked, seeing that Koko looked like she was in pain.

"It's nothing. It's just an old problem," Gu replied, rubbing his temples.

"You can get sick too?" Yukari Yakumo asked, somewhat incredulously.