Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Zero - Volume 6 - Chapter SS6

Diene’s Worries

“Get to work, you lazy pigs!”

A young woman’s pretty voice echoed through one of the ships that made up the ship island of the western seas, followed by the sounds of a whip cracking. The men getting their asses whipped didn’t seem to be hating it in the slightest, however.

“Thank you very muuuuuuch!” they said in unison, trembling with ecstasy. The onlookers didn’t seem worried for these men either. If anything, they were excited.

“Get serious already!”

“Goddammit, I was too late!”

“Man, I’m jealous!”

They all shouted in unison.

“You guys are doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” the young woman asked, looking at the men below her as if they were trash. While her gaze excited them, the men could feel her genuine anger and they hurriedly prostrated themselves in front of her.

“W-We’re terribly sorry! But we couldn’t help it!”

The girl stepped on the head of one of the men.

“Who am I?!” she shouted.

“Don Diene, our beautiful boss and queen!”

“If you know who I am, then stop looking to get punished, you filthy perverts!”

There was another crack of the whip, and the men moaned in ecstasy. Baharl let out a long sigh as he watched Diene discipline the men from the deck of the island’s largest ship.

“She really did grow up to be just like her sister, huh?”

He couldn’t help but worry that before long, Andika would be a city of perverts instead of a city of outlaws. Two years had passed since Meiru had gone into her labyrinth, and now Diene was as old as Meiru had been on the day of the decisive battle. She now wore the same kinds of revealing clothing that Meiru had preferred, and just like Meiru, she looked like a doting older sister while actually being a greedy, hardcore sadist. There was only one thing about Diene that was different from Meiru now.

“Dad, did you just sigh after looking at my chest?!” Diene shouted.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Diene leaped up onto the deck Baharl was on and glared at him, covering her extremely modest bust with one arm.

“Miledi-san said it best. Boobs are just useless blobs of fat. Not that a man like you would understand.”

Baharl patted Diene’s head to calm her down, and while she still pouted at him, her anger started to dissipate. In some ways, she was still a child, which Baharl found both endearing and worrying.

For a while, the two of them just basked in the sea breeze and looked out over the waves.

“It’s almost time, dad.”

“Yep. I know you’ll be able to take care of things here. Don’t worry, your dad’s gonna find us a new continent in no time!”

Today was the day that half of Andika’s citizens would set off in search of a new continent. There was an entire fleet of ships ready to go, led by the new and improved Melusine. Baharl was the captain of the Melusine, and while he made it sound like it’d be a short jaunt, Diene knew she probably wouldn’t ever see him again.

Diene lovingly stroked the railing she was leaning against and said, “Take care of dad and everyone else for me, Melusine.”

The memories she’d made with everyone on this ship were the greatest treasure she’d ever found.

“Oh yeah, I have a message from Nee-sama.”

“Hm, what’s she want?” Baharl asked, narrowing his eyes.

In a mischievous voice, Diene said, “‘Good luck on your journey. You better not kick the bucket too quickly, you shitty dad.’”

“She needs to learn to respect her elders,” Baharl said in a gruff voice, though Diene could tell his ears were red. Even if it had been paired with an insult, Baharl was glad that Meiru had at least called him dad.

“Sheesh, the two of you need to learn to be more honest with yourselves,” Diene said with a small smile.

Baharl scratched his head awkwardly, then started making preparations to weigh anchor. He and the others were ready to depart by midafternoon.

“You take care, Diene.”

“You too, dad. May the seas smile upon you always.”

Once they’d said their final goodbyes, Baharl turned to his crew and said, “All right lads, it’s time to set sail! Follow me, Baharl Devault!”

Diene continued to watch the fleet of ships until they’d vanished beyond the horizon. Once they were gone, she finished up her work for the day, then opened up the portal in her room. This was a special Dark Gate that only Diene could use. It led straight to Meiru’s room in her labyrinth. As she stepped through it, she wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh, what’s this smell?! Nee-sama, you did it again, didn’t you?!”

“D-Diene?! I-It’s not what you think!”

Meiru’s room was filled with acrid smoke. She was wearing an apron and had a plate in her hands. The plate was loaded with what appeared to be some kind of ooze.

“I thought I’d make some snacks for my cute little sister, but I think the ingredients were spoiled.”

“Don’t blame the ingredients. No matter how spoiled they were, they wouldn’t end up looking like a slime from hell.”

Would she just starve to death without me? Diene wondered with a sigh.

Noticing her sister’s disappointment, Meiru tearfully looked away. These past two years had proven that Meiru had absolutely no ability to take care of herself. As a result, Diene—who actually knew how to do housework—now wore the pants in their relationship. However, it didn’t actually bother Diene too much that Meiru was completely hopeless at household chores.

Heh heh, Nee-sama’s so cute when she’s crying. She really can’t do anything without me. But it’s okay, since I’m here to take care of her. He he he...

“H-Huh? Why do I suddenly feel so cold?”

Meiru had yet to realize that Diene was a bigger siscon than even her. At any rate, Diene baked the snacks that Meiru had failed to make, and she told Meiru all about what was happening on the surface as they ate the snacks with some tea.

“By the way, how are things going with Dylan-kun?” Meiru asked with a grin. Dylan had been stopping by Andika every now and then to see how well Diene was faring, and she’d started to develop a crush on him. Unfortunately—

“Your boobs are big, mom’s boobs were big, so why are mine so tiny?!” Diene shouted.

“D-Diene? What’s wrong? I’ve never seen you look so...”

“That stupid pervert! Every time he shows up, he just stares at the boobs of my crew members!” Diene roared as she smacked the table in frustration. “Can you believe it, Nee-sama?! I finally worked up the courage to ask him what type of girl he was into and he said, ‘I like girls with boobs like Meiru-san’s.’ What kind of answer is that?!”

Meiru did her best to calm Diene down, but Diene simply glared at Meiru’s voluptuous chest instead.

“For the first seven years, whenever Dylan-kun talked to me, he was always staring at your boobs!”

“O-Oh yeah, I guess he did do that.”

“Last time we met, he even said, ‘I still haven’t found a pair of breasts that surpass Meiru-san’s. Hers were truly legendary.’”

“Isn’t he being a bit too brazen? I can’t believe teasing him about how he always stared at my boobs when he was only half-healed ended up turning him into someone like this...”

Meiru cocked her head and gave Diene a puzzled look as she asked, “How did you even fall for a guy like that?”

“I mean...normally, he’s very gentlemanly...and he’s really strong, and he always pays attention to me, and his smile is cute, and...”

Diene started fidgeting in embarrassment, prompting a grin from Meiru.

I see my little sister is attracted to the wrong kinds of boys.

In truth, Diene had a penchant for attracting all sorts of unusual things, not just boys. For some reason, all of the Seamen had moved from Ur Lake to Andika, and even the Hell Eater was quiet when around Diene. That was one of the reasons why everyone had unanimously decided to make Diene their boss.

Smiling, Meiru took Diene’s hands into hers and said, “Well, just make sure you find your own happiness, okay? You don’t have to come visit me every single day if it starts becoming too much of a hassle.”

Meiru loved Diene, but she didn’t want to tie her down. However, Diene simply replied, “I’m happiest when I get to spend time with you, Nee-sama. This is what I always wished for. Anyone who tells me to stop seeing you isn’t someone worth loving.”

Meiru was momentarily taken aback, but then she hugged Diene and said, “Dieeeeeene I love youuuuuu!”

“Heh heh heh, I know. I love you too, Nee-sama.”

It had taken many years, but the two siblings were finally able to spend time together like they’d always wanted to.