NOVEL NEXT Chapter 340: [The Job Of A Goodwill Ambassador!]
A sudden call.
The voice I heard after pressing the answer button was…
[It's been a while, Iroha-san. Thank you for always taking care of my daughter.]
《E-e-e-eh!? Ogu-Mom… No, Madam President!?》
The person on the other end of the line was none other than the leader of this country… or rather, the world.
Stammering with surprise and nervousness, I asked…
《Wh-what’s going on!? I mean, is it even okay!? For you to call me directly like this!?》
Surely, someone in her position shouldn’t be casually reaching out to a mere citizen.
In fact, ever since she became president, this was the first time we'd exchanged words like this.
[Oh, there's no need to worry. This is simply work-related.]《Work-related, you say?》
I had a bad feeling about this.
If it were just a simple request, surely someone else could have handled it, instead of the president herself.
《So, um, what exactly is it?》
[You will soon be visiting a certain country, Iroha-san.]
It sounded like a request, but in reality, it was more of a notice.
Wait, uh… where?
After hearing the name of the country, I tilted my head and typed it into the search bar to check the location.
To put it simply, it was a small, unfamiliar country.
《Th-this place is pretty far, isn’t it!? Um, is there any chance I could decline…?》
My schedule is already packed with lessons and recordings.
If possible, I'd like to pass on this one…
[Well, if you really must, it can't be helped.]
Surprisingly, she backed down quite easily.
As I was about to hang up, thinking "Well then,"…
[By the way, I heard your collection has grown quite a bit, Iroha-san.]
《~~~~! cough cough! Ah, no!? That is!?》
[But… what a shame. Oh well, I suppose.]
《Eek~!?》
The meaning of "Oh well" had taken a complete 180.
Panicked, I hurriedly tried to stop Ogu’s mother from hanging up.
《I-I’m sorry! I’ll do it! I’ll do it, okay!?》
[Oh, but if you don’t want to, feel free to decline.]
《N-no! I’d love to! I want to do it!》
[Very well.]
Scary!? Ogu’s mother is as terrifying as ever!
The only reason I was able to recover my past-life collection was thanks to her pulling some strings behind the scenes.
Bringing that up now feels like nothing short of a threat!?
How could I refuse after that!?
[Besides, this matter is important not just to me, but to you as well. —As a goodwill ambassador.]
《Ugh…》
I had heard that, as part of my duties as a goodwill ambassador, I would have to visit foreign countries.
But of all times, why now?
《So, when am I supposed to go to this country?》
[Somewhere between mid to late December.]
《Eh?》
[Don't worry. You'll be back in time for Christmas Eve.]
《Phew······》
[I wouldn’t want my daughter to hate me, after all.]
《Guh!? Ah, no!? That’s not what I meant!?》
[Oh? Isn’t it?]
《…It’s… not.》
How does she know everything!?
Ah, of course—it’s the Secret Service!
When I went to buy the ring, I made sure to ask Ogu and the others to keep quiet, but I forgot about anyone else.
Well, it’s their job, so expecting them not to report it was probably a lost cause anyway.
《Still, I wish you’d given me a bit more notice. I have to check the route, figure out how many days it’ll take, and adjust my schedule.》
[There's no need for that. Depending on the situation, it'll likely be a day trip.]
《What?》
No, no. The fewer major airports a country has, the more layovers you have to deal with.
It’s not the kind of place you can just pop over to…
[We'll be using my private jet.]
《Ah, I see.》
So that’s how it is. Her perspective, or rather, her sense of scale is just too different from mine…
But she is the president, after all.
I guess that makes sense.
Still, it feels like every escape route has been cut off.
There’s no choice but to do it.
Well, to be honest, I wasn’t really planning to refuse in the first place.
[I’ll send more details later. On the day, just follow my people’s lead. See you on site.]
《You’ll be there too, Madam? Got it.》
[Yes. And let’s take that time to thoroughly discuss your relationship with my daughter, and your future. Until then.]
《OXX▲~~~~~✩!?》
I let out a scream that didn’t even sound like words.
After the call ended, I sat there in a daze.
Maybe… no, definitely, the real purpose of this “job” is that last part.
She only called because of that, didn’t she…?
《Fii~ I'm back~! Just got home from recording. What's wrong, Iroha!?》
《O-o-ohgu!》
《O-oh!? There, there. I don’t know what happened, but did something scare you?》
I nodded furiously and spilled everything to Ogu.
Her cheeks puffed up angrily.
《Mom didn’t even consider your schedule again! And now we’ll have even less time to spend together…》
Seriously, this year-end is going to be chaotic.
If that’s the case, then the only time I’ll have left to do anything freely is…
《About a week, I guess.》
If there’s anything I haven’t done yet, this might really be my last chance.
For some reason, that’s how it feels――.