The Power of Moe

by Ichiro Sakaki

  “I mean... Almost.” I smiled a little sadly and began to walk.

  Yes: this was another world. When the wind caught the hair of the maid beside me, it briefly revealed those pointy ears, a reminder that she had elf blood running in her veins.

  “It means I’m not quite sure if things will go the way I expect them to...”

  We were heading for a building just nearby. In a word, it was a massive windmill. The building was about five stories high. It was basically a cylinder with a cone on top, like a huge red pencil, and there was a gigantic green windmill attached. The walls were made of brick, and a number of black marks the shape of stretched-out raindrops made it clear the place was pretty old.

  Still, there were a lot of people hard at work all around the structure. Many of them had spades in their hands, filling cracks in the walls with mortar or concrete or something. With larger cracks, they would first fill it with a big stone or reinforce it with wood before plastering it over.

  In other words, this thing was under repair.

  This windmill had never been used much, so the Eldant Empire had given it to me—or rather, to Alternate World General Entertainment Provider Amutech. Currently it was being renovated by laborers from the same Empire—humans of course, but also elves and lizardmen and red-faced, stout people who seemed to be this world’s equivalent of dwarves.

  This group was actually the Eldant Empire’s Army Corps of Engineers. They might or might not have been suited to doing the interior design on some noble’s mansion or something, but they were used to working on the battlefield—rush jobs were their bread and butter. They could toss up a fortress or two in a few days. Seriously reliable help. I basically told them, “The details don’t matter, just make this building usable”—and that was all they needed to hear.

  I peeked inside and found work proceeding apace. The workers in here, however, were not with the Eldant army, but the JSDF.

  The former insides of the windmill—where wind power had driven gears that worked a machine to crush grain—had been largely removed, replaced with electrical wires and a small converter stuck to the wall, among other things. We were going to turn this unused windmill into a wind-powered electric generator.

  One major issue with a wind generator is that, because (as you might imagine) it relies on the wind, its output is inherently unstable. Or anyway, so I assumed. In a world where there were wind sprites in the air all the time, who knew?

  In addition to this wind-powered generator, the JSDF had also brought in solar battery panels. The point, of course, was for Amutech to have some electricity to work with.

  “Myusel, c’mere.” I went partway up a spiral staircase that followed the wall and looked out a window. From the windmill’s spot on top of the hill, you could see our mansion clearly. Just a little ways away from it stood a former grain storehouse, which the Eldant army and the JSDF were also busily renovating.

  “That’s where you’re going to open your school, isn’t it?” Myusel said with admiration.

  It sure was. The storehouse would soon be reborn as an educational institution that would lay the groundwork for the arrival of otaku culture. This generator and the solar batteries would both help power the school—an “otaku training center,” if you will.

  It had been a month since I’d come to the Eldant Empire. After I had reached the conclusion that basic education would be indispensable to spreading otaku culture, I had leaned on Matoba-san and Petralka to help me obtain these facilities. I figured there would be some resistance, so I was surprised how readily both of them acquiesced, and my “otaku training center” idea got rolling smoothly.

  So smoothly it was a little scary, in fact.

  I know I joked about this being “SimAkiba,” but let’s remember, I was a home security guard until not that long ago. For something I had dreamed up to have this many people working on it was kind of intimidating.

  “Shinichi!”

  As I stood lost in thought, someone called my name. It was a sweet voice that I already knew very well...

  “Oh, Petralka.”

  I suddenly realized that an elegant bird-drawn carriage had stopped beside the windmill—it was mainly white, even the bird that was pulling it. Her Diminutive Majesty was standing beside the carriage, waving at me. The gesture, combined with her silver hair fluttering in the wind, looked awfully adorable. Although if I mentioned it, she would probably just get upset and say I was treating her like a child again.

  Myusel and I hurried back down the stairs.

  “So this is where you’ve been,” Petralka said as we approached. “We’ve been looking for you. You weren’t at the mansion.”

  “Huh? I thought we were taking a break from our study sessions today.”

  “Should the Royal Person refrain from visiting simply because there is no study session?” she said with puppy-dog eyes and just a hint of resentment.

  Huh?! Puppy-dog eyes?! That’s not fair, Your Majesty! ...was, of course, not something I could say, so I just smiled and tried to suppress the moe-ness that welled up within me.

  “Well, of course not—”

  “Then all is well.” She nodded. Oddly, she seemed almost relieved.

  Gah! This empress is so dang cute! She’s like a little kid who tries to make every gesture look as adult as possible.

  “There is something we wish to show you today.” Petralka held a hand out at her side, and the knight who appeared to be attending her produced a notebook and handed it to her.

  Kanji Study Book was printed across the front of the notebook.

  She held it out to me. I took it and opened it. The pages were crammed with characters that looked like worms crawling across the blank space. They were all simple kanji, the sort of thing a Japanese kid would learn early in elementary school. The handwriting wasn’t exactly exemplary, either, but there sure were a lot of characters there.

  “This is... really impressive,” I said earnestly. That got a smile from Petralka, who puffed out her (very small) chest proudly.

  “You may stand in awe of our intellect.”

  “I’m serious. Color me surprised.” I wasn’t trying to flatter her or anything; I really meant it.

  This kanji study book was among the things I had asked Matoba-san to bring for me. One of the learning aids for my otaku training center, of course. And I had one for both Petralka and Myusel...

  “We had our heraldic scholars analyze the form of your ‘Japanese,’ and we reviewed their report ourself.”

  That’s an empress for you, I guess. A whole lot of fuss just to learn a little Japanese. Wait... Wasn’t that kind of unfair?

  In any event, Petralka turned to Myusel, standing beside me, and said challengingly, “You see, we could not be bested by a maid.”

  “Wha? Er, no, I—”

  This left Myusel flustered, of course. Well, I guess anyone would be a bit thrown off if the absolute ruler of their nation suddenly saw them as a personal rival in learning Japanese.

  “This is a fine opportunity,” Petralka said. “How interesting it would be to see which of us has done better at learning Japanese.”

  “I— I couldn’t—”

  “We begin now!”

  Petralka assumed a stance as if she were getting ready for a fistfight. I guess empresses don’t take no for an answer. Myusel was at a complete loss to be challenged so suddenly—but of course, Petralka wasn’t going to wait for her. She launched right in:

  “Nama-mugi nama-gome nama-tamago!” It meant “raw barley, uncooked rice, raw egg,” but that wasn’t the point. It was a tongue-twister.

  I cocked my head. I mean, it was impressive that she’d picked that up on her own, but why here? Why now?

  In a tizzy, Myusel tried to recite:

  “Oh... um... Oh! Na... Nama... Namamoge, tamagomoge...?”

  She could hardly get her tongue around the words.

  Yes! Good! Very good! Myusel was a maid, and a half-elf, and clumsy to boot, and her p
erformance here was completely innocent. I couldn’t help a shiver. Behold, the great and terrible Myusel...!

  “What’s wrong?” Petralka gloated. “Can’t you even manage a few simple words? I guess we know what a servant girl’s studying is worth.”

  Given that she had specifically forbade Myusel from outdoing her and even had help from scholars whom she had set to studying Japanese—well, all things being equal, it wasn’t surprising that Petralka had emerged triumphant.

  Suddenly, a new voice joined the conversation.

  “Shinichi-kun? And Your Majesty, too? What are you doing here? Sightseeing?”

  It was Minori-san. She must have been assigned to the JSDF unit working on the windmill. I’d wondered why I hadn’t seen her all day, even though she was supposed to be my bodyguard...

  “I could ask you the same question, Minori-san. What’s with that outfit?”

  “What’s with what outfit? These are my normal work clothes,” she said. But she wasn’t wearing her usual tight uniform. She was in dark-colored pants that used plenty of cloth and sturdy-looking, high-laced black boots. But her top half was covered only by a tank top that left her shoulders and more than a little of her cleavage visible. On her head she wore a helmet printed with the letters JSDF.

  Minori-san always seemed pretty easy-going, but this get-up made her look very much the part of the “construction lady,” and made it obvious just how well-endowed she really was. It made me realize what an effect clothing could have on the impression you made on other people.

  Still, there were some things that didn’t change no matter what you were wearing. The less Minori-san had covering her, the more clearly her figure stood out. The cloth mountains ensconcing her generous chest were especially noticeable. I could just catch a glimpse of the blessed valley at her neckline. I struggled to keep my eyes where they belonged.

  “Careful where you’re looking,” Minori-san said, slouching somewhat to keep her chest out of my line of sight.

  “Shinichi,” Petralka said. “So you prefer women with large breasts?”

  “Eh, I mean, one of the appealing things about Minori-san as a character is that no one’s got bigger boobs.”

  “Don’t call me a character,” she said, shooting me a dirty glance.

  “Hmph. Everyone and their brother is just after all the flesh they can find.”

  At first, I wasn’t sure who had made the annoyed remark. I was too distracted by Minori-san’s figure. But finally, it sunk in.

  It was Petralka.

  “Huh?” I backpedaled strenuously. “Oh, uh, but it’s not like I’m saying that all you need is a big rack. Small chests definitely have their own charm.” Nothing good would come of upsetting Her Imperial Majesty. I clenched my fist to emphasize how persuasive I was being. “Think about the really young ones! Small chests, budding breasts, flat as a dinner plate—they all focus on the purity of a restrained womanhood, you know? ‘The hidden flower is the most beautiful’? The proverbial purity of a bud before it blooms? The perverse erotic appeal exuded by a girl who still trembles at being exposed?! And above all, the really young ones are the very embodiment of nervousness because they haven’t yet been touched—their chests have a quality of new-fallen snow that you just can’t get anywhere else...”

  That was as far as I got before I realized the three women around me were giving me very strange looks. In fact, they seemed to have taken a couple steps back. Even Myusel. Et tu, Myusel?!

  “No! You’ve got it all wrong! I was just trying to explain—”

  “Erotic appeal? Perverse?” Minori-san said. “If we weren’t in Eldant, Shinichi-kun, you would definitely be brought up on charges of sexual harassment.”

  “No! I’m not trying to—”

  “You are indeed a lech, aren’t you, Shinichi?” Petralka said, arms crossed. “And I see you’re willing to accept a great many things. From large breasts to small ones.”

  “I’m telling you, I was just answering the question I was asked!”

  “We must keep an eye on you, or there’s no telling when you may pounce upon your servant and make her the vessel for your seed.”

  “M-Make me—?” Myusel gasped, her face turning red.

  “I’m not gonna pounce on anybody! And how can you use language like that about a sweet young girl anyway?!”

  “All right, that’s enough out of you.” Minori-san wrapped her arm around my neck and dragged me away from Petralka and Myusel.

  When we were at a safe distance, she said in a different tone, “Listen, Shinichi-kun. Do you understand what you’re doing?”

  “I swear, sexual harassment was the last thing I—”

  “Not that.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Minori-san slip off her ring. “This is a busy construction site, get it? Not a place for people who are going to buy into freedom and equality or whatever.”

  She stole a glance at Myusel and Petralka. Petralka appeared to be saying something to the maid, but Myusel didn’t look terrified, so it was probably something less nasty than before.

  Minori-san went on. “There are a lot of things here that are very different from our world. The Eldant Empire finds us novel, and they don’t necessarily understand everything about us yet, so they’re letting us do what we want. But do you realize that you’re trying to establish an educational facility that could undermine the whole imperial system?”

  “...Let me guess. Matoba-san’s been complaining to you?”

  I hadn’t seen much of Matoba-san the past couple of weeks. Once plans to build the school had been settled, he had been going to and fro taking care of finances, red tape, and other details, just like he’d said he would. He’d even been back and forth to Japan several times—he was keeping very busy.

  “Not specifically. But...” Minori-san’s expression darkened. She gave a humorless, resigned laugh.

  “Shinichi!” I turned when Petralka called my name. She was pointing at Myusel and shouting, “What in the world are you feeding this girl?!”

  “Huh? Feeding her? Pretty much the same things I eat,” I answered.

  Incidentally, Myusel, Minori-san, and Brooke all ate together. That was obviously the easiest on Myusel, and I figured that since they were all living in the same house together anyway, it might be nice if they could share their meals. Myusel and Brooke were hesitant at first, but they seemed to have taken my “order” to heart, and now everyone generally ate the same thing in the same place.

  “The same things?” Petralka asked.

  “Uh-huh. The very same,” I said.

  “Not some kind of staff meal?”

  “Why have her make something separate for herself when she’s already made something for us? It would just be a lot of trouble.”

  “That’s not the point. Hrm... Well, that explains it, anyway.”

  “Explains what?”

  “This servant has a bigger chest than I realized. Although the ribbon at her collar usually hides it.”

  “Y-Your Majesty?!” Myusel exclaimed.

  “Huh,” I said. “So you think so too, huh?”

  “Master?!” Myusel yelped.

  Oh, crap! I didn’t give my brain time to catch up with my mouth...

  “We see your plan, Shinichi. You’re feeding her nutritious food to enhance her bust size!”

  Wait a second. This isn’t like growing vegetables or fattening a pig or something.

  Hold on... Wasn’t it?

  I gathered that until I had told her to start eating what I was eating, Myusel was subsisting on pretty poor fare. Brooke, too. Their color had visibly improved with the changes in their diets—well, Brooke just seemed to have shed his skin. But he said it was a little earlier than he usually shed, so it probably meant his metabolism had improved. I guess it wouldn’t be that surprising, then, if Myusel, who was young enough that she could still be growing, should find her chest expanding.

  Then again, Petralka had probably been better nourished at the same age, but she
hadn’t grown up very much. Maybe it was just a difference of dormant potential.

  “Curse you, Shinichi... To think you were so obsessed with breasts! You, half-elf! Keep a record of everything you eat! We shall investigate what sort of diet leads to a larger chest and—”

  “I’m not obsessed, I swear I’m not!” I protested. “Well, maybe a little obsessed, but not that much!”

  I didn’t have the patience for some kind of Tale of Genji-style womanizing.

  But then...

  “U-Um, Master,” Myusel said. “If... If you prefer them to be larger, I’ll certainly try my best to—”

  “Why must you all take everything in the most perverse possible way?!” I cried. They thought I was some pervert who was raising Myusel like an animal to have big breasts!

  ..................I also decided that starting today, maybe I would request stuff made with a lot of milk and cream. But that’s a secret.

  And so but anyway.

  My work as Amutech’s general manager proceeded bit by bit. But maybe I should have thought a little harder about exactly what that work was.

  The entertainment business is essentially a form of gambling. There’s no direct correspondence, like, “If we do this, we’ll make this much profit.” You can take the staff of some hit show, have them make another series using the same methodology, and it can be a huge flop. It isn’t uncommon. I had seen all kinds of examples of it myself.

  Obviously, the opposite is also true. The staff or the execs think, People aren’t going to like this, or Let’s just play it by ear, but then the thing takes off and becomes so big they hardly know what to do.

  If you must know, my foray into the entertainment business was not going so well. Why, exactly?

  “Come now, Shinichi, be quick about it!” Petralka urged me.

  Today was another day of “classes” at the mansion. Just like every day for the last two months. The only thing that had changed was who was participating. The number of my students had increased dramatically.

  Lined up in the living room as usual, almost twenty young—mostly teenaged—nobles sat watching me from closely packed desks.

  All of a sudden the room felt awfully small. And this was after I had made them go through an admissions process to narrow down the number of students! If I had accepted everyone who wanted in, I would probably have more than a hundred people in here. Include all their attendants, bodyguards, and entourages, and it would probably have been three times that many.