Honestly, I'd almost forgotten that Qian Qian had come along when we set out. It wasn't until Tawell's report had wrapped up and I had nothing to do for the moment that I suddenly remembered: Oh right, I seemed to have brought that scatterbrained queen with me...
It really wasn't my fault for feeling that way. Like Viska, Qian Qian had only come along for the fun. The moment the ship docked, the first thing she did was vanish without a trace with that bunch of little troublemakers. Want to guess what she was doing?
Leading a pack of little girls around the edge of the Asteroid Belt, pushing rocks, looking for all the world like she had never grown out of childhood.
How was anyone supposed to connect her with this operation...
Still, it was fine. It fit her role at home perfectly. Qian Qian's greatest function in the household was keeping those crazy girls company. With enthusiasm even more overflowing than the little troublemakers', she had successfully claimed the position of King of Children and established absolute authority over the little girls. Having her take charge of the kids indirectly ensured that the little ones remained manageable. That was why I usually supported Qian Qian going off to play with the children—though another important reason was that I couldn't stop her anyway...
Instead of taking a shuttle, I used short-range teleportation to meet Qian Qian and the others at the edge of the Asteroid Belt. This group of crazy girls, big, medium, and small, had found a region packed with celestial bodies and turned it into their temporary amusement park. There, I witnessed a scene brimming with childish innocence and fun:
Little Crow was, just as I expected, in her Crow God Form. Normally, she had to suppress