Chapter 35: Silver Soul (Cosmos Arc)

"Commander, idiot—ah, no, Prince Hata is looking for you!"

Gankura Take sighed as she gazed at the celestial soldier before her. Rising from behind her desk, her tall, agile figure and long black curls cascading to her arms complemented the crisp silver-gray uniform she wore, imbuing her entire presence with an air of ascetic restraint.

"Next time, show a bit more respect toward His Highness," Gankura Take patted the soldier's shoulder, causing his face to flush instantly.

"Yes, Commander!"

"Let's go, take me to Prince Hata."

Unconsciously, three years had already passed. Three years ago, Prince Hata had brought her back from that monster planet to the Central Nation Star. From that moment, she understood how many here were dissatisfied with the idiot—no, with Prince Hata.

Prince Hata was an extreme animal lover, and most importantly, his favorites were always dangerous creatures. Because of this, he constantly caused trouble for those around him. Despite being bitten numerous times by these perilous beasts, the prince's affection for animals remained unwavering—a rare persistence, indeed.

Back then, this idiot—no, Prince Hata—had traveled to Gankura Take's monster planet for the sole purpose of capturing some monsters to keep as pets. During his stay, Gankura Take, with her formidable strength, struck a deal with him: she would help him catch monsters if he would take her away from that planet.

Prince Hata agreed, and Gankura Take caught countless monsters for him. This delighted the prince immensely. After bringing her back to the Central Nation Star, he swept her into the Royal Guard, and then into the Interstellar Auxiliary Police Alliance. With the idiot—no, Prince Hata's support and her own efforts, she had risen in these three years to captain of the Royal Guard and head of the Central Nation Star division of the Auxiliary Police Alliance.

"What trouble have the prince's pets caused this time?" Gankura Take turned to ask the soldier.

"Well... the prince let the hydra out, said he wanted to bathe it... now the snake is wreaking havoc in the palace," the soldier wiped his brow, trembling.

"Ah..." Gankura Take couldn't help but sigh. When would that idiot—no, Prince Hata—ever cause less trouble?

Just as she reached the entrance of Prince Hata's palace, Gankura Take heard screams and monstrous roars from within. She rushed inside; if she didn't hurry, another palace would soon be ruined.

"Mousse, stop it! Ah! I only want to give you a bath, don't make a fuss!" Prince Hata whirled a white towel around the creature, circling it helplessly. The snake ignored him, twisting its body and darting about the hall.

The hydra, true to its name, had nine heads, each uniquely shaped.

"You finally made it, hurry! Go catch that snake!" The prince's attendant, the mudskipper uncle, hurried over in a panic to Gankura Take.

Hearing this, the prince turned to Gankura Take, saying, "Remember, be gentle. Don't hurt Mousse!"

"...Yes, Your Highness." Gankura Take sighed. Every time she caught a monster for this man, he would always say the same thing. Since arriving at the Central Nation Star, she'd lost count of how many monsters she had captured for the idiot prince. Not only did she have to deal with endless chores, but she also had to help him catch monsters. At this rate, she would die from overwork.

The snake's nine heads lashed about, sharp teeth piercing columns and biting several maids and guards. Fortunately, this species was nonvenomous, or the casualties would have been far greater.

Gankura Take tore down a curtain, grabbed it, and ran to the hydra. Swift as lightning, she wrapped all nine heads together in an instant, finally tying them into a neat bow. Problem solved.

"Your Highness, it's done," she said to Hata.

"Excellent, excellent! Someone, return my Mousse to its cage and bring out Annie—she's pregnant, I need to feed her," Prince Hata ordered the guards.

Annie? Gankura Take raised her brow. She remembered Annie was a giant horned hound. During pregnancy, horned hounds became very docile; she shouldn't cause any trouble.

"Your Highness, I'll take my leave," Gankura Take said.

"Go ahead, I'll call you if I need something."

"Yes, Your Highness," Gankura Take thought it would be better if he didn't call her at all.

Stepping out of the palace, Gankura Take found her uniform drenched in saliva and mysterious fluids sprayed by the snake. She immediately stripped off her silver-gray high-collar jacket.

Beneath the jacket was a white shirt, part of which had also been soaked, clinging tightly to Gankura Take's skin and revealing the contours of her toned muscles. The silver-gray trousers hugged her slender thighs, and she wore black lace-up boots. Once she shed the uniform jacket, her ascetic aura softened, revealing a more carefree beauty.

Back in her office, Gankura Take propped her legs up on the desk and exhaled deeply, utterly exhausted.

As she massaged her temples to relax, someone knocked at her door again. She lowered her feet, sat upright, and said, "Come in."

This time, it wasn't a palace guard, but a police officer from the Auxiliary Police Alliance.

"Commander, there's trouble at Interstellar Port Terminal 1!" the young officer reported.

"What happened?" Gankura Take asked.

"The checkpoint inspector found some suspicious luggage containing a large amount of Rebirth Grass."

"Let's go! Take me there," Gankura Take stood up immediately.

"Yes, Commander!"

After asking the young officer about the luggage, Gankura Take fell into thought. In the past two years, thanks to her strict supervision, smuggling of Rebirth Grass at the Central Nation Star's checkpoints had finally decreased, but that was only treating the symptoms.

Everyone in the universe knew that the most powerful organization in manufacturing this drug was Spring Rain.

Thinking of Spring Rain brought to mind a certain despicable bastard—Kamui. He was known as Spring Rain's Thunder Gun, and the Seventh Squad he led was the most formidable in Spring Rain. Gankura Take detested him immensely!

Just thinking of him made her furious!

"Commander, are you alright?"

Seeing the officer's anxious expression, Gankura Take realized she'd accidentally kicked a stone statue across the room.

"I'm fine. Let's hurry," she said with a smile.

"...Yes," the young officer replied, sweating profusely.

The Central Nation Star was vast and wealthy, boasting two massive interstellar ports and five terminal buildings. Terminal 1 was close by; they arrived in no time.

Entering the terminal, the two headed straight for the inspection room.

"Have you caught the smugglers?" Gankura Take asked.

"No... Commander," an auxiliary officer replied sheepishly.

"Where was the Rebirth Grass hidden?"

"This is a newly developed liquid form. The perpetrator concealed it inside cosmetic bottles. We only discovered it by accident."

"Send this new drug to the division's forensic lab for testing. Increase patrols in the terminals and be vigilant for any suspicious individuals," Gankura Take ordered.

"Yes, Commander!"

No sooner had she finished than a commotion erupted outside.

"I'll go see what's happening," Gankura Take said.

"Ah hahaha, ah hahaha, you really misunderstand! I didn't mean to do anything improper to this lady—I was just dizzy after disembarking and fell onto her!"

That voice... sounded familiar...

Gankura Take parted the crowd and stepped in. Sure enough, it was someone she knew from the past—Sakamoto Tatsuma.

His unruly black curls, worn-out clothes, and sunglasses marked a stark change from his days in the anti-foreign campaign.

Opposite him stood a plump woman with a cat's head and a golden wig, shrieking, "This guy's definitely a pervert! Not only did he fall on me, he also groped my chest!"

"Wait, madam, when did I ever grope your chest?!" Sakamoto protested.

"Who are you calling madam?! I'm only nineteen!" the cat-faced woman—no, girl—said angrily.

"Enough, both of you. Please don't obstruct other travelers—you’re blocking the exit. Come to the office with me to sort this out," Gankura Take stepped forward and addressed them.

"Ah hahaha, sorry about that. Miss, let's go clarify things together," Sakamoto Tatsuma said with a laugh.

Seeing an old acquaintance, Gankura Take felt a surge of nostalgia. Though he looked quite different now, Sakamoto Tatsuma's character hadn't changed much.

The two followed Gankura Take to an office, and after their explanations, she understood the situation: Sakamoto Tatsuma, dizzy from space travel, had slipped and fallen onto the cat-faced girl's chest as he exited the ship, immediately being accused of being a pervert.

After Gankura Take's mediation, the cat-faced girl finally decided to forgive Sakamoto, mainly because he gave her a coupon for a well-known beauty salon on Central Nation Star as an apology. She happily let him off.

"Ah hahaha, who'd have thought I'd run into something like this as soon as I got off the ship? Miss, thank you! I still have some beauty coupons—would you like one?" Sakamoto Tatsuma said, scratching his curly hair.

"Sakamoto, it's been a long time," Gankura Take revealed herself now that there were no outsiders.

"Huh? You know me? Am I that famous?" Sakamoto laughed.

"I'm from Earth—Gankura Take. During the anti-foreign war, I was a foot soldier under Sakata Gintoki."

Sakamoto paused, then finally responded, "Ah hahaha, fancy meeting a compatriot here! You were Gin's subordinate—must've been a pain working with that guy."

"Uh, it's Gin, not Kin... Sakamoto, aren't you good friends with Sakata Gintoki?"

"Yeah, me and Kin are tight, ah hahaha."

"..."

Hey, hey! If you’re such good friends, why can’t you remember his name?!

"Ah hahaha, Gankura, fate has brought us together—let me treat you to a drink."

"Thank you, but it's Gankura..."

"Come on, Gankura!"

"..."

Gankura Take felt she no longer wanted to argue with him.

Talking to someone who never remembers names is truly exhausting...