Why was Funaho so fascinating to Azusa? It was true that he liked her naiveté, her loveliness, and her kindness, but he felt more from Funaho. As he kept mulling it over, he found Funaho in the corner of the yard, staring blankly at the scenery. “Funaho-dono…” He was aware of Asumi’s warning, but the moment he saw her sad face in profile, he could not help but call out to her.
“Azusa-sama. Um, I’m sorry about earlier. I…”
“Is Asumi-dono your only family, Funaho-dono?”
“I have a little sister at my uncle’s.”
“And your parents?”
“My mother passed soon after she gave birth to my sister… My father left to vanquish Orochi and never returned.”
“Orochi?”
“Oh, never mind…” Funaho was flustered at having let that slip.
“The people who were after you? I’m sorry I reminded you.” Azusa apologized, realizing he was being rude, and amended his words. “But I believe your father is still alive.” Knowing that Orochi, the mythical eight-forked serpent, was a space pirate weapon, Azusa figured that Funaho’s father had merely been captured. In this day and age, androids and bioroids that appeared no different from humans cost little to build. But, perhaps as a result, enslaved intelligent lifeforms from primitive planets strictly protected by galactic law were valuable because of their scarcity. And pirates would never indiscriminately kill something of value to them.
Funaho offered a faint smile at Azusa’s confident words. “I hope so…”
“It’ll be all right!” Azusa said, suddenly leaning in.
“U-um, your parents… Er, I’m sorry.” Funaho desperately tried to change the subject to cover her blush, then realized she had asked about the very thing that got her scolded by Asumi and bowed her head.
“It’s all right. I don’t mind.” Trying to comfort her, Azusa started his tale in a cheery tone. He carefully changed titles and such so it would not sound strange to her and slowly started to tell her about his parents. It also served to remind himself of the distance between his world and the one inhabited by Funaho.
Azusa’s father, Yotsuga Kazuki, was a Galaxy Police cadet. He met Masaki Amame, his life partner, when he took a post at the Jurai GP office. A lowly GP officer and a daughter of the Masaki family, one of the four imperial houses of Jurai—they were Azusa’s father and mother.
Jurai, a powerful military nation whose citizens were almost all combatants, would not ordinarily have need of a supplementary system of security officers, even with their equipment and information network. In reality, the Jurai GP station only employed administrative personnel and a few officers. Even so, there were more than a few in Jurai who felt some amount of humiliation that another security organization even existed within Jurai borders. This national pride eventually gave rise to a certain ceremony (some would call it hazing) for the incoming GP officers. It was a simple ritual: rescue a woman getting harassed by drunkards in town. They would pass muster if they successfully helped the woman get away. This was not an official event but a prank by the warriors. Nevertheless, the officers would not be permitted to work on Jurai if they failed to pass. Of course, in flesh and blood, they would never be a match for Jurai warriors, so this ritual only tested their mettle, not their physical strength. However, since the entire galaxy knew about how powerful the Jurai warriors were, there were few who could pass.
The day Azusa’s father was supposed to participate in the ceremony, there was an accident: he came across a real drunkard and not the plant. Since the man was drunk, after all, Azusa’s father was able to let the woman escape, but got thoroughly beat up in the process. Furthermore, since everyone around them thought it was the usual hazing ritual, nobody offered to help.
It was Azusa’s mother who stepped up. She was on her way to watch the spectacle after she was invited by her friend, who had arranged this specific ceremony. Since it was at a different location, she called the friend to confirm, and discovered that this was an unplanned event. She skillfully parried the drunkards, and said to Azusa’s father, his face by now covered in bruises, “Why didn’t you use your gun?”
“There were bystanders,” Kazuki replied, “and I didn’t want to hurt the guy…”
“There’s nobody on this planet idiotic enough to actually get shot by you.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Well, you were able to let the girl escape, so you pass,” Amame stated.
“Thank you.”
“But you should work out a little more.” Shaking her head, but acknowledging his strength of character, she later taught him Juraian martial arts as an apology.
“And that’s how their courtship began?”
“Yes, I suppose so.” Azusa nodded vaguely at Funaho’s question. He actually did not know the details. His uncle, his mother’s older brother who had also left Jurai, was the one who told him how they met. Few parents would tell such details to their children. He continued, omitting some details.
When Azusa’s father finished his assignment and was to be transferred to the station on his home planet, Azusa’s mother relinquished her royal title in order to go with his father, and they were united in marriage. Such an action by the daughter of House Masaki, one of the four great Imperial Houses, would be a scandal, but it was relatively easy to relinquish the title. All one had to do was plant one’s partner Royal Tree, the symbol of royalty, in soil on Jurai. However, any descendants would only be able to return to the Imperial Family through the approval of two out of three other Imperial Houses. It did not change the fact that she abandoned the Imperial Family, so she must have agonized over the decision. Or so Azusa assumed when he was young, but while she fretted over saying farewell to the Royal Tree that was like a sibling to her, she had not wasted time worrying about relinquishing her title. Juraians, originally pirate stock, were resilient. She quickly became used to life on an unfamiliar planet and soon gave birth to her eldest son, Azusa. They led a modest but happy life.
Eight years passed. Without warning, a woman came from Jurai to see Azusa’s mother. She was Seto herself, from House Kamiki, one of the four Imperial Houses. That was when Azusa and Seto first met. Azusa’s mother had been Seto’s pupil and friend.
Seto put forward the suggestion to welcome Azusa as the next head of House Masaki. After Azusa’s mother left Jurai, several circumstances had led to House Masaki being without a viable heir. His rejoining the Imperial Family was unanimously agreed on by Seto’s House Kamiki, the current Emperor of Jurai’s House Amaki, and House Tatsuki. However, Azusa refused to go to Jurai. It was perhaps asking too much of an eight-year-old boy to leave his parents, but his parents felt obligated to House Masaki. They tried to persuade him, but Azusa steadfastly refused. He was satisfied with his current life, and he had another significant reason: having abandoned the Imperial Family, his mother could not return to Jurai. Of course, it was possible if she got permission, as per protocol, but this time, permission to rejoin the Imperial Family was only given to Azusa and not his mother. Azusa rebelled against this.