Noah's Powerful Backers (Part 2)

In the Japanese-style courtyard, the rustic bamboo deer scarer caught the drizzling rainwater, occasionally letting out a light clack that startled the goldfish in the pond into scattering.

The space between heaven and earth was shrouded in white, misty vapor rising everywhere.

Tsuru, her hair completely white, sat cross-legged at the shoji door, gazing at the quiet courtyard. Thinking of the high-level Marine Headquarters meeting that had only just concluded, the wrinkles on her face seemed to deepen.

"Such worries are impossible to resolve..."

She sighed softly and murmured with self-mocking bitterness, "If we cannot even protect that boy, then is what the Marines protect truly still justice...?"

Though she had met Noah only a handful of times, she had taken quite a liking to the warm, sunny young man. She had long regarded him as a leading figure among the younger generation, even as the future hope of all Marine Headquarters.

And this time, he had clearly only been trying to save over a thousand innocent children and punish evil pirates, yet because of the other party's special status, they instead had to send that boy to a military court to suffer imprisonment?

Would they make a hero bleed, then weep as well?

...How ironic.

Struggle and anguish entwined within her heart. Tsuru closed her eyes wearily, always feeling that she ought to do something, yet she remained just a tiny step short, unable to make the final decision.

Just then.

An aged, pale-green Den Den Mushi slowly wriggled out from inside the house and made its way to the shoji door. Looking up at its longtime mistress, it let out a soft "purururu."

Was there another meeting to attend?

Tsuru opened her eyes and frowned slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up the receiver.

What she