Chapter 75 - Overturning The Terrible Trial (Part II)

Akira had made the call to Rumia later that night, after the girls had tuckered themselves out and fell asleep next to each other. To which Rumia's responded with saying that she'd be more than happy to assist.

"We'll be swinging by sometime in the afternoon," she told Akira over the [Peelphone].

"Swing by? You mean like on a vine?"

She laughed. "You'll see. My boys and I have progressed far past vines at this point."

After which Akira slept soundly, for the first night since Vash's demise, and awoke at the crack of dawn the next day. To a noise, coming from outside, that she couldn't at first comprehend because she knew it could only be one thing...

Whirling helicopter blades.

She ran outside of the student dormitory hall to see a crowd of acolytes and elders alike had amassed, all come to marvel at the magnificent wood and banana peel constructed [Nanacopter] hovering just a few meters above the monastery's central courtyard, in a storm of kicked up dust and pebbles.

Kiki was speechless, looking in awe. At least until she remembered she was practically naked in public, and promptly ran, whimpering, for someplace to hide.

"No fucking way..." Kanna mumbled, gawking at Akira's side.

"Rumia!" Akira yelled, to be heard above the droning mechanical din. "Nice helicopter, but I don't think landing zones have been invented yet!"

Seconds later the side door of the Nanacopter, made of stripped and polished stitched-together strips of tree bark, was pulled open to reveal Queen Rumia: the monkey lady having since traded her royal loungewear for a more casual pink midriff cloth jacket over an orange and white striped tube top, store-bought orange spats and red aviator shades, widely grinning and waving.

The [Purple Elder] walked up beside Akira, joining her in grinning up at the Nanacopter. "Is everything going smoothly, on your end?"

"Yeah. Rumia has what we need to get off the ground. Metaphorically speaking." 

Akira Maximillian was of course referring to money: what he deemed to be enough starting capital for the enterprise he had in mind. But also the group of passengers Rumia had brought with her, as per his request, who were all high-level players with mastery in chi manipulation she'd plucked off the streets of Acquama, to serve as Akira's agents when it came to dealing with the golems.

The purple elder nodded, with a pleased look. "Good. I've already made arrangements with the elders I have working with me. They'll be the ones overseeing the trial, tonight, so you can get your guys in and do what needs to be done."

Akira nodded. "Perfect. I'll take it from here."

Following this exchange, the elder walked off and Kanna, having overheard all that was said, was now putting the pieces together.

"You're gonna sabotage the trial," she said, bearing a faint smile.

"Oh, I'll do worse than that," Akira replied, with her hands on her hips and tail flicking emphatically, as the corner of her lip raised in a confident grin. "As it turns out, the golems only regenerate if the chamber is powered on with chi. A procedure which the elders tasked with overseeing the trial tonight will 'conveniently' neglect to do."

"So that their limbs can be removed," Kanna said, following along. "But then what? Will just anyone be able to unlock chi powers for free, with no trial involved?"

"No way!" Akira replied, shaking her head. "That would be disastrous."

She walked, taking Kanna by the hand, until they arrived at a nice, secluded spot away from the noise of the helicopter and crowd of monks, sitting on a bench next to a koi and goldfish pond.

"Disastrous?" Kanna inquired. "But wouldn't it be good if everyone had safe access to chi powers?"

"Good for society. Bad for business."

Kanna gave an irritated scoff. "Explain it, then! So that even a dumbass like me can understand."

"Well…" she paused, thinking for a bit before answering: "The Mithil Government is currently paying the monastery for every new player that trains here, with a bonus for each one that later chooses to enlist as a soldier.

Therefore, if chi powers became available to just anyone off the street, they'd lose a lot of their value. And as a result, I'd imagine the stipends would cease."

Kanna groaned, leaning back on the bench. "It's always about money."

Akira gave a sheepish smile. "In both this world and the last." she said, after which her expression suddenly grew serious. "Still, something about this is really bothering me."

Kanna threw her head back, gazing up at the clouds. "Ara ara, everything about this deeply bothers me, Akira-kun."

"No. I mean, about that Purple Elder…"

"Still don't trust him?"

"Everything's fit together so smoothly, on his end. Like he already had this all set up. And he doesn't seem at all concerned about what his bosses, the grand elders, will think—about what is essentially a hostile takeover."

"Eh? You're saying it's a takeover now, all of a sudden!?" Kanna exclaimed.

"That's right. Because, for the final stage of my plan, it involves converting the trial temple into a new source of revenue for the monastery going forward, while also allowing more open access to chi powers for the wider public."

"Ara ara." Kanna was rubbing her forehead with a weary moan, from taking in all this information at once. "How did you come up with all of this so fast?"

Akira gave a smug, gloating smile."Must be my machine brain is working at full capacity, huh Kanna?"

Sometime later…

The [Nanacopter's] pilot had found a safe place to land. So then Rumia, being so excited to see Akira again, immediately lunged out of the copter and started leaping, from building to building in the monastery, in search of her.

"AKIRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

She pounced on Akira as they were walking along to the Nanacopter with Kanna, slamming her hard against the ground.

"Not very queen-like," Akira joked, pinned beneath her.

"That's fine. I'm not a Queen anymore."

"What?" Akira sat up, moving Rumia off her. "Did your own children dethrone you?"

"No." she answeted, looking down. Her voice was quiet. Her gaze, contemplative. "My boys got it in their heads one day that they wanted to experiment with democracy, so I chose to step down." She gave a wistful sigh. "I've never been more proud of them."

"Amazing," Kanna said. "Are those damn, dirty apes becoming civilized, just because we sold a few bananas?!"

Rumia stood, looking slightly offended. "Those 'damn, dirty apes' are my sons, and they're currently working on developing Nirvana's very first passenger jet." She continued with a smile, glancing at Akira through the corner of her eye. "Akira's influence—her capitalism—has paved the way for real progress in our village."

Expanding our trade to other cities. Making advancements to our culture and technology. Constantly striving toward all-new heights."

She looked down at Akira, then. Smiled, as she reached out a hand to help them back onto their feet. "You've given us the tools to create our own prosperity, Maximilian. All thanks to the foundation you built for us, and that savage old bastard husband of mine being gone." 

As Akira rose, Rumia immediately hugged her, burying their face into her chest. "Because of you, the future finally looks bright for me and my children—something we could never repay you enough for!"

"Rumia…" Akira said softly, burying her chin into the top of their head, as they continued to weep tears of joy. "I'm glad."

Moments later, at Akira's dorm room...

Akira was honestly pleased to hear things were going well with her first venture, and grateful for this opportunity for her and Rumia to catch up. "You look well. I love the new clothes."

"Thanks"—Rumia laughed, twirling around.

Meanwhile, Kanna was standing off in a corner, her brows drawn with worry. "Where'd Kiki run off to?"

Akira glanced at her warily, staying silent as she tried to remember when last she'd seen them, culminating with an unbothered shrug. "Maybe someone complimented her."

"Right." Kanna snickered. "Some random guy musta been salivating over her."

"Who's Kiki?" Rumia questioned Akira.

"My newest wife," Akira answered while wrapping one arm around Rumia's waist. Then, silently beckoned for Kanna to join them with the other, which she gleefully did. "It'll be another few hours before the trial starts, so I say we should all make the most use out of Rumia while she's here." 

Rumia gave a charmed giggle. "Listen to you!" she said, giving Akira a playful slap. "Speaking so rudely about a member of the royalty in your presence."

"Heh"—Akira squeezed her ass, making her jump—"welcome to democracy, bitch."

"My! You've gotten friskier since last time!"

"Consider this your punishment"—Akira gently held her flowing brown tail, kissing along her neck—"for all those slutty teases" —she yanked Rumia's tail, with a bitter look—"the lewd things you used to say, to taunt me over the phone!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Rumia was hunched, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, a look of sheer mindless pleasure lighting her eyes. "Akira-dono! Please accept this useless ape's humble apologies!" she cried. "I promise I won't act like a trashy slut, ever again!"

Akira tugged her tail again, making the monkey a moan-key. "That's more like it…"

Kanna still had a worried look about her, thinking of Kiki.. "It's really irresponsible for her to just suddenly wander off like that, without saying anything."