"Good morning! What can I help you with today?"
I greeted them first at the entrance reception, recognizing some familiar faces.
It was Misago, Hisui, and—somewhat unusually—big sis Hachikuma. She used to be in the Self-Defense Forces but switched over to being a bodyguard. She hadn't been around lately, so seeing her again was kind of nostalgic.
"We'd like to submit this paperwork, please."
It was a marriage registration form with the names of three people—and one more—along with their national ID cards.
"Oh wow, congratulations…"
I responded automatically at first—then did a double take at the paperwork and the group.
"Wait, what?!"
I stared again at both the documents and their faces.
"Isn't this... a bit fast?"
I muttered, looking at Misago.
"It is fast, I guess. But like, grandma Yata always said these things need to be decided quickly or someone else might swoop in—and it gets messy if you wait."
"Well, that's true. People will definitely start poking their noses in."
I didn't say who exactly, but I nodded seriously in agreement.
"Alright, give me just a moment."
I casually excused myself, signaled to my coworkers that I'd take over this one, and swapped places with the front desk staff.
Names and ID numbers all matched.
Each of the documents and ID cards were scanned, including vein authentication. No signs of fraud. Hisui's ID had no logs at all, which was a little odd—but no errors popped up, so I figured it was legitimate. Hachikuma's ID seemed to be linked too, so it wasn't my place to question it.
By the way, for clarity, the ID system automatically displays matching background colors when scanning the bodyguard and their assigned protectee.
The color that showed was a soft, translucent pale green—the color of jade, like Hisui's name.
As for income records…
They were clearly pulling in millions, so they were opting out of government aid or interference. Fair enough.
Also, the presence of grandma Yata as their guarantor was overwhelmingly intimidating.
Technically, you don't need a set income to get married from a bureaucratic standpoint. But if it's too low, the government might try to "help" with subsidies—and start meddling, telling you where to live, suggesting ties to powerful families, that kind of thing.
Internally, I was impressed by how thoroughly prepared grandma Yata was. I continued processing the paperwork.
We can access a lot of data via the ID cards and numbers thanks to our official privileges—though of course, we're bound by confidentiality and can't share any of it.
"Alright, all set. Everything's approved. Congratulations!"
Speaking in a slightly too casual tone—well, we're basically family—I stamped the paperwork.
Even with all the digitalization, some things are still oddly analog.
I handed the copies back to Misago and the others.
"So, how about a commemorative photo?"
"What for?"
Misago tilted her head.
"Well, obviously—we're going to post it right on the lobby bulletin board!"
I pointed dramatically at the mostly empty board behind us. Right now, it only had postings for vacant homes and job openings in underpopulated areas.
"C'mon, bright news like this is meant to be celebrated by everyone!"
I grinned a big, cheesy grin.
I wanted to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere of the region, even if just a little.
It's not like anyone here would dare make trouble. Around here, no one's dumb enough to go up against that person. So yeah, we're safe.
The three of them awkwardly smiled for the camera.
Man, it's nice having a guy in the group. Adds a certain flair.
Before I knew it, all the staff had gathered for an impromptu photo shoot. We even jumped in for a few shots ourselves, taking full advantage of the situation.
I genuinely felt happy for Misago and the others.
Suddenly, I realized my eyes were getting watery.
Seriously? Why am I crying?
I looked around—yep, everyone else was getting emotional too. I know Misago's pretty much like our baby sister, but still—cut the sniffles already. Smile, people!
"And hey, while we're at it, share some of that happiness—like, say, a seed or two?"
I teased Misago in a light tone.
"I mean… you've done it, right?"
I leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"Yup. All set," she replied, blushing and gently patting her belly.
Yep, she looked absolutely blissful. That's all that matters.
Later on, the entire region basically threw a celebration under the guise of a marriage gift-giving visit to meet Hisui. It turned into a bit of a frenzy… and okay, maybe I bear a little of the blame for that.
Author's note:
Oops—I forgot to include Tsubame's perspective!
Tsubame is in the same school year as Misago but just a bit older.
Suzume's a grade above them.
Tsubame stands at 160 cm, a bit shorter than Misago's 170 cm.
Actually, Misago is the youngest of the sisters—the final "drop" in the family line, so to speak. That's why everyone dotes on her. Even though she was a hopeless virgin, she had decent self-esteem thanks to that love and support.
There are plenty of other half-siblings with the same "seed" who haven't been named yet, so most of the staff are basically extended family. The Bird Squad is a pretty cozy workplace. Nearly everyone is a local, genetically speaking—it's one big family.
That's why, even though Tsubame is just a 20-year-old newbie, she acts kind of high and mighty at work. Shouting at the coastline was part of her newbie duties, by the way.
I just realized—this was supposed to be the emotional conclusion of Chapter 1. It totally slipped my mind while writing.
I was crying while I wrote it. Then I cried again rereading it. Not sure what's going on with me.
Sorry for worrying that things wouldn't move fast enough without diving into the spicy stuff. I should've had more faith in these characters.