FCC Chapter 37.2

Just as the live chat was heating up with discussions about how well space pirates are treated these days, and even nearly pushing the hashtag #SpacePiratesWorkHarderThanYou# to the top of the trending list, the host, who seemed slightly nervous, finally finished listing a whole bunch of advantages and conditions for Kleist.

“Alright, now we’ll officially begin today’s interview! First, let me introduce our guest—”

“Big brother, it looks like… there’s a camera here?”

But just as the camera was about to pan away, a little head suddenly and slowly popped up on the big screen.¹Ahh! Cutie!

His moist eyes were fixed on the camera from close range, even his long, thick eyelashes were clearly visible. And, as if he’d discovered something intriguing, he called out “Big Brother” in a soft, childlike voice.

“Ah! H-hold on, sweetie, we’re in the middle of an interview right now!”

The host standing nearby stammered slightly and hurriedly tried to shoo the little one away from the camera.

“……?”

After being stared at by the host several times, Qiu Qiu pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and glanced back at the camera. His fair cheeks gradually flushed, and after flapping his wings, he immediately flew off.

“Big Brother—”

[Aaaah, don’t run away!!!! I still need to screenshot a high-res image to use as my wallpaper, aaaah! Damn it!]

[Totally worth it! That’s Kleist for you! I knew exactly what I’d love to see!! Kid, slow down a bit—your big bro hasn’t even had time to lick the screen clean yet!]

[And for crying out loud, don’t run in the wrong direction!! I’m right here in front of the camera!!! How could you just leave your big bro behind like that!! [teary-eyed]]

The entire comment barrage froze for a moment, but the instant the cub ran off, comments began flooding in almost instantly, as if bouncing back.

Help! This Kleist is way too calculating!!! He deliberately left this scene in the interview video—he must’ve known everyone would be dying to see more!!!

“Ahem, okay, let’s continue with our interview! Welcome, welcome to our guest—”

Seeing that Zai Zai had successfully taken his place, the nervous host finally turned the camera toward the interview area behind him.

“—His Excellency Qiu Jingyu, the Council Speaker of the First Star Region!”

“It’s a great honor that you, Mr. Speaker, were able to take time out of your busy schedule today to join us for this episode’s recording as Zai Zai’s older brother!”

The man sitting behind his desk didn’t look like he was being interviewed by a bunch of kindergarteners; it was more like he was attending some kind of policy press conference.

He looked at the camera with a composed expression, but when the little guy sneaked up and sat lightly on his shoulder, a hint of a smile clearly flashed across his eyes.

[……?]

[????????!!!!!]

Just a moment ago, they were chasing after him to acknowledge him as their little brother amidst a massive riot; now, it was as if a massive curse had suddenly silenced the entire crowd.

The smartbrain in his hand—which had been frantically typing out shouts for “little brother”—suddenly felt just a tiny bit too hot to hold!

[Damn, is the mic broken? Or is my screen broken too… I’m not watching the official news channel, am I…? Shitty screen [pupil earthquake]]

A few seconds later, the entire big screen was covered with question marks and exclamation points so densely packed they almost obscured the entire display, interspersed only occasionally with a few timid comments asking which channel it was.

After all, this kind of scene is so damn familiar it’s in my bones, aaaah! The official news channel airs this almost every day—it’s just that, aside from the elderly, no one really stays up late to watch it anymore.

[What the hell is going on here? I’ve already kicked the screen over a dozen times, but the image still hasn’t changed. So is it my brain or my eyes that are broken???]

[I never would’ve imagined that political news on Imperial Star has become this intrusive!! Forcing you to watch the official news channel?! [Shocked][Shocked]]

[Stop struggling, everyone. This isn’t a damn fake—the kid’s already sitting on someone’s shoulder!!! [World-Shattering]]

Just as the crowd was refusing to believe their own eyes, someone finally realized that none of this was a hoax!

After all, the little one had already brazenly sat right on that person’s shoulder! And while sitting there, he was even handed a piece of candy!!!

Is this the kind of scene you’d expect to see on an official news channel???

“I’m delighted to be here today as a guardian, participating in my little one’s educational journey. Choosing Kleist was indeed a decision our family made after careful consideration.”

Regardless of whether the commenters believed it or were willing to believe it, the interview with Kleist’s young student’s guardian went ahead as planned!

The man in front of the camera remained as composed as ever during the interview, though compared to his usual business-like tone, there was undeniably an indescribable softness to his voice.

Qiu Qiu, who had been a bit nervous after the earlier little mishap, was no longer fluttering around and touching everything; instead, he sat obediently on his brother’s shoulder, looking a bit embarrassed.

But hearing Qiu Jingyu’s unhurried voice, which inexplicably gave the reassuring sense that everything was back on track, the little one finally relaxed a bit and flapped his wings.

It’s so nice to have my big brother here with me.

He even couldn’t help but hug the candy and nuzzle against his brother’s neck.

“……”

“…Eh!”

The next moment, Qiu Jingyu, whose neck the little one had just rubbed against, answered the question while lowering his gaze to take the candy from Qiu Qiu’s hand.

He skillfully and carefully unwrapped the candy wrapper bit by bit before handing it back to him.

“Big brother… I can unwrap it myself!”

Glancing at the camera with a slight blush, Qiu Qiu quickly snatched the little candy from his brother’s hand. His tiny wings fluttered shyly, almost covering the candy in his arms.

What if—what if someone thought he was a lazy little guy?

He couldn’t even unwrap a piece of candy by himself!

Hearing his little brother’s protest, which clearly betrayed his growing nervousness, Qiu Jingyu instead chuckled softly and reached out to rub his younger brother’s soft cheek.

“Just unwrap it. What’s there to be nervous about?”

Does he need a reason to spoil his own little brother?

Glancing up at the camera, the unspoken meaning in the man’s eyes was almost self-evident.

[Versailles²this is a chinese slang meaning smug or very proud and fluanting., The Beast’s Subtle Show of Superiority.jpg]

[Holy crap… I—I was totally blown away by that look!!! Waaah, what’s going on here???]

[But, but he rubbed the little one’s face!!! The little one’s face is so soft, waaah, Mr. Speaker?? What on earth is happening here!]

[This is fucking insane. I’ve been poring over the Prince’s Mansion archives all night—how could a herbivore possibly emerge from a pack of carnivores, aaaah!?]

[You guys still have time to cry?? I was so freaked out I had to rush back to delete my comment before coming back… I took a look at the remaining tens of thousands of space pirates in the comments section—good luck to you all [smile]]

It’s one thing to brag about being a space pirate behind closed doors, but to actually show it right in front of this person!!

Just as the entire comment section had frozen in shock, a sudden notification slowly popped up.

[!!! Shit]

[Help! I completely forgot!!! Oh my god!!!]

[Damn, damn, damn! Why is my account being flagged for suspected violations, temporarily locked, and set to be investigated before being unlocked??]

As the “guardian” officially made an appearance, the entire bullet comment stream instantly descended into indescribable chaos. The video stuttered so badly it looked like a PowerPoint presentation!!

“Haha, you’re cracking me up. You’re only thinking about deleting comments now? It’s way too late. Go get investigated, every single one of you, hahaha!”

In the principal’s office, Sylvester, clutching his lightbrain, finally couldn’t hold back and burst into maniacal laughter—after all, he’d just received an urgent, special approval notice from the Senate.

A large number of posts suspected of being from space pirates, who threaten interstellar stability, have appeared under Kleist’s official account. We have to go through them one by one, hahaha!!!

“…These people—why can’t they pretend to be something else instead of space pirates? Even though there aren’t many space pirates left these days, the Space Pirate Act from back then hasn’t been repealed yet.”

Amos watched as these back-end accounts, wailing like ghosts, were sent off one by one for questioning, and he was left with a rather bittersweet sense of speechlessness.

From a legal standpoint, anyone who publicly claims to be a space pirate is indeed subject to investigation…

Moreover, this is downright brazen—an open defiance of Imperial law.

However, compared to this batch of accounts that suddenly vanished and could no longer post, even more people clicked through the trending topics only to have their memories stirred by a scene so familiar it was eerie.

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  Ahh! Cutie!
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  this is a chinese slang meaning smug or very proud and fluanting.