Shuzan was ecstatic.
“Are you sure? You can put up a proxy.” He left her an escape route, since he knew she could do no such thing.
“And this is no verbal quarrel,” Funaho said. Shuzan shivered with indignation at this additional provocation.
Misaki watched this confrontation apprehensively and noticed her mother Seto had a big twitching smile on her face. “You plotted this, Mother.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ho ho ho.”
Right as this touchy situation peaked, in came Utsutsumi, entering late, right in front of Funaho and Shuzan. He glared at the two of them and sighed. “We’re all idiots. Me and Shuzan-dono. Funaho-dono was caught up in this mess for ridiculous reasons; she can’t do this sober.” He ordered the attendants to bring several large casks. It was his treasured stash of the finest sake. “Let us not stand on ceremony.”
This was turning into a bar fight. Juraians used to be pirates, so this was nothing out of the ordinary, and the customs remained to this day. If something could not be decided by a discussion, things came to a head by force. Reason was cast aside to let them vent with everything they had.
Funaho was given a large club to face Shuzan with, and she abruptly upended a large bottle. Seeing this, Shuzan grinned. “Are you preparing an excuse for when you lose?”
“Come on, you mother#!*@er!” She might have been drunk already. Azusa and Misaki averted their eyes at Funaho’s uncharacteristic behavior. They knew her predispositions.
Infuriated, Shuzan charged. But in the blink of an eye he was walloped, dunked into a casket, and knocked unconscious. It was not that Shuzan was weak. Funaho was extraordinarily powerful. Watching this, Seto screeched with joy.
“Well, this is a surprise. Did she take lessons from Misaki? But this isn’t enough to best me,” Utsutsumi downed a small cask to liven things up and charged at Funaho. But just like Shuzan, Utsutsumi was easily subdued and tossed down in front of Misaki, who was dutifully sitting politely. “Wh- what?!”
“Father, you had the wrong idea. I didn’t teach her. She spars with me,” Misaki chuckled.
“What?!”
“With a staff, she’s more powerful than Misaki-chan,” Seto said nonchalantly. It meant Funaho was more powerful than Utsutsumi.
“What? Arg…!” Utsutsumi picked himself back up and rushed at Funaho, who was cackling with flushed cheeks. Nobody could stop her now, and that was the way this was supposed to be. Azusa decided to sit back and watch over his wife, his face twitching.
Funaho started to slow down, having drunk too much. “Uh-oh,” said Azusa.
Misaki said to Utsutsumi, “Father, you should wind down…”
Utsutsumi thought he now had the upper hand and raised his club towards Funaho, but he was blown away again. Shuzan, now awake, followed into the fray, uttering a strange squeal.
“Mother…”
“It’s fine. It’s a casual affair anyway,” answered Seto, leaving Shuzan and his followers, sealing the transport pod to the great hall. “This is a good lesson for the others to learn.”
“Mother…you scare me.” Misaki shuddered at Seto’s tittering. From the sealed hall, an angry roar, sounds of destruction, and general pandemonium could be heard.
“It’s started. Come on, hurry!!” Seto spread out the volumes of sake and food she brought from the hall and camped on the nearby deck with the best view of the hall. She started the Great Pandemonium Spectacle party, hosted by her, and began pulling in the passing ladies-in-waiting and security guards.
When Funaho got drunk, she showed strength not even Azusa and Misaki together could handle. The recoil from her days of suppression was frightful.
Members of the Jurai Imperial Family could receive backup from royal ships during combat. And Funaho could forcibly extract backup not only from her own ship but Misaki’s. Not even Misaki herself could receive backup from Funaho’s ship. Once she was drunk and reason flew out the window, the ships’ powers streamed into her automatically. She was basically a berserker. Even with an anti-energy force field, nothing could block two Second Generation ships. An hour later, the matter came to a close with the complete destruction of the great hall.
“It’s still too dangerous to approach…” Seto’s party continued for several more hours until the alcohol was out of Funaho’s system.
In the hospital room, Seto sat beside the mummified Utsutsumi, who had bandages around his entire body. “Have you learned your lesson now?”
“Hmph. I see you made sure to escape by yourself.”
“You reap what you sow. Why don’t you just admit already that you have a problem?”
“What do you mean?”
“You probably consider yourself a disgrace.”
“Yes… Yes, I do!” Utsutsumi closed his eyes and declared. “But I asked Misaki that day if she wanted to be the First Empress. She smiled happily and said ‘yes.’ I wanted to do things the way she wanted! And now look, Misaki is all doting on Funaho-dono. ‘Oh, I’m going to be Second Empress after Oneesama.’” He clenched his fist, his mouth turned down at the corners. Misaki made this same gesture often.
“Well. I knew you were an idiot but not this much. Right, Misaki, Funaho-dono? Don’t you agree?” Seto called towards the door, and there stood Misaki and Funaho with bouquets of flowers.
“Gack!!” Seto stopped Utsutsumi from hiding under the blanket. “Seto, I can’t believe you!!” he shouted pathetically, turning bright red.
“Dear.”
“Shut up! Shut up!”
“Father…I’m sorry. Thank you.” Misaki hugged him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t realize, I…” Funaho cast her eyes downwards apologetically.
“I have nothing to say, I lost the duel. Don’t mind me.” Having only himself to blame for his humiliation, he no longer had the willpower to remain defiant. And now with a beautiful woman making such a face at him… He had long felt a strong inferiority complex toward Funaho. All his anger transferred to Azusa, that idiot, as this was how he could deceive himself. “Besides, nobody will defy you again. Including me. Ha ha ha!!”
“I’m glad you were able to sweep this under the rug,” whispered Seto in his ear so nobody else heard. Utsutsumi could only laugh.
On Jurai, where pirate traditions remained strong, those who excelled in one thing were respected. That duel enabled Funaho to be accepted as a member of the Imperial Family. And that in turn cemented Azusa’s status as Emperor of Jurai. Thanks to Seto, everything worked out.
Needless to say, nobody offered Funaho alcohol ever again.