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It was a simple request. It had nothing to do with the invasion or the platoon’s budget, but it wasn’t a big deal. It had helped him sleep better. For some reason, he’d been having constant nightmares and whatnot. So, of course, hearing about how well nightlights seemed to work here on Pekopon, he had ordered for Kururu to make a night light projector for him.
When he had received it, he noticed how tiny it was; small enough to fit beside or somewhere on Keroro’s bed. The projector was shaped like a star; much like Keroro’s symbol. All he had to do to get it to turn on was flick a switch on the back of it and his room, mainly the ceiling, would be illuminated with bright yellow stars. It had worked many nights after.
One night, as Keroro had just finished getting ready to rest, he shifted his attention to his bed—he did a double take. Something was amiss. “Gero?!” he cried, as he saw that his night light projector wasn’t on his bed like usual.
He instantly threw his covers and pillow in hysterics, searching for it; and when it wasn’t there—out goes the mattress. He zoomed from one spot to the next, almost like lightning, trying to find the projector.
Tearing his room almost apart, things being thrown around, and furniture being flipped over—he became agitated that his projector was nowhere to be found. He stomped his foot. “Where is it?! Where could it be?!” he yelled.
He inhaled and exhaled slowly and began calming himself so he could take a moment and think. Hmm… maybe someone took it… but who?
Then, someone in mind came to him—someone who could be a suspect…
--
The door squeaked open, as the alien frog crept into Fuyuki’s dark room ever so slowly. He couldn’t even fathom that his good friend would take something that wasn’t his without asking. But that could also not be the case.
Fuyuki’s eyes opened halfway as he saw a small figure in his room. He bolts up, leaning away from the shadowy figure that was in his room.
“Uhhh!”
“Shhhh! Fuyuki, it’s just me.”
“Huh? Sarge?”
Fuyuki rubbed his eyes and squinted. Once he could see that it was very well the alien in the room, he let his body relax once again. “What are you doing in my room? Are you trying to get the Kero Ball again?” he asked wearily.
Keroro blinked. “What? No! I’m here for something else,” he started, earnestly, “Did you take my projector?”
Fuyuki cocked an eyebrow. “Your what?”
“My night light projector!” he emphasized. Fuyuki shook his head.
Keroro was disappointed, but relieved to know that it wasn’t Fuyuki who had taken it. The frog folded his arms. “Well, would you happen to know who might have it?”
The pekoponian put his index finger up to his mouth and tapped it; thinking for a moment.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, looking back down at the sergeant, “Maybe you can ask Natsumi if she has it,”
The green frog looked down and unfolded his arms. Natsumi… that’s it!
Keroro rapidly turned away and speed walked out of Fuyuki’s room saying, “Thanks, Fuyuki!” in a cheery tone.
--
The only thing that was worrying for Keroro, is what if Natsumi doesn’t have his projector? Then what? Who would have it, if not her? He looked up at her room name plate before pushing the door open to enter the nearly black room.
As he entered, he could see that she was indeed fast asleep. Keroro kind of didn’t want to wake her, but he wasn’t gonna be able to sleep himself if he didn’t! Who knows if those night terrors will return again! He didn’t want to risk it.
Progressing forward, the alien frog was near her bed. He climbed up and looked at her. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Keroro hesitantly began shaking her awake. “Psst! Natsumi!” he whispered loudly. Natsumi hummed in response. She wasn’t fully awake, so Keroro kept shaking her.
Natsumi’s eyebrows furrowed as she hummed again, this time sounding more irritable. The feeling of Keroro shaking her was becoming infuriating, so she soon had her eyes open all the way and directed her gaze at whoever was shaking her awake. “What?!” she asked crossly as she shot up. This made Keroro jump back on the floor at breakneck speed. “Do you have it?!” he shouted.
“Have what?”
“My night light projector!”
Natsumi huffed. “I don’t have your dumb nightlight,”
“Curses! I would’ve figured you’d have it,” Keroro said, pointing at her. Natsumi plopped back on her pillow. “Now let me sleep…” she muttered as she turned her back away from Keroro. The sergeant went and walked out of the room.
Who else could possibly have it? Neither Fuyuki nor Natsumi had taken it. So the question is: who is there left?
--
Keroro burst in Giroro’s tent, startling Giroro in the process, who took out a gun in reflex and pointed it to the direction the sound came from. Keroro yelped. “Don’t shoot!” he raised his hands up in defense.
Giroro saw that it was Keroro and sighed as he let down his weapon. “What do you want?” he inquired. Keroro stood there for a moment. Then he went up to the corporal; grabbing his arms and started shaking him back and forth vigorously. “Where is it?!” he yelled furiously.
Giroro forcefully pushed Keroro away from him, making Keroro almost fall over—but he caught himself. “Where’s what?!” he yelled back. Keroro squinted in repugnance. “You know exactly what…”
“I don’t! I really don’t!” Giroro replied. Keroro looked him on in confusion. “Really? You don’t know? Or are you playing dumb?”
The red frog sighed in exasperation. “No, I guarantee whatever idiotic thing you’re looking for, I don’t have it,”
“So, you don’t have my night light projector?”
Giroro became stunned. “What?!” he shouted with rage, “That’s why you woke me up?! Because of you losing your stupid nightlight?!”
“Now, now, corporal,” the sergeant began, “This is important! If I can’t sleep then who will come up with a great invasion plan?” he questioned in a rather panicked voice.
Giroro grunted and crossed his arms. “Well, I don’t have it,”
Keroro pulled at his hat in aggravation and groaned. “I’ve literally asked everyone! If it’s not you, then who could it have been?!”
Suddenly a realization hit him. It all came together like puzzle pieces. Who else would’ve taken it than the one who made it?
--
There stood Keroro in front of Kururu’s lab. The entrance, that was designed looking like the said inventor, was already opened so there was no reason for Keroro to call for Kururu to open it for him.
He walked rather quickly inside, not wanting to waste anymore time hunting down what he had been running around the house looking for.
The room was dimly lit, with only the monitor screens filling any kind of light source within the place.
“Hey, Kururu! I think you have something of mine,” Keroro presumed.
Kururu didn’t place his attention on the other keronian in the slightest; he just kept on looking at the monitors. “Oh? And what might ever that be?”
Keroro walked up next to Kururu, who didn’t even take a glance at him. “Come on! I know you have my night light,”
Kururu smirked and stretched his hand over the left side of him—grabbing a pointy object. “Ku ku, you mean this?” he said, holding it up as he gazed at Keroro.
Keroro perked up and beamed as he recognized the object. “You do have it!” he smiled as he then made grabby hands. This made the yellow frog giggle. “Ku ku ku, not so fast,” he held the projector out of Keroro’s reach.
“Gero? Why nooooot?” he whined. Kururu wagged his finger and shook his head, “I’ll give it back, on one condition,”
Keroro sighed; he didn’t want this to be open for discussion. What could he possibly want from me? Whatever it is, it probably won’t be good…
“And that is?”
“That you’ll let me sleep with you,” Kururu said with forthrightness as he stared directly at his leader.
Keroro went wide eyed as he processed what the malicious frog had just said. “You… you mean like… in the same bed?” Keroro asked. The thought of sharing a bed with somebody like Kururu was something he would’ve never thought of doing in a million years.
“Ku ku, of course,”
Keroro huffed and folded his arms. “Ridiculous! I’m not going to do that!”
“Then,” Kururu turned in his chair away from Keroro, “You don’t get this back.”
Jeez, the Sergeant Major can be such a pain sometimes! “What makes you think I’m going to agree to such a thing?!”
Kururu looked up at his monitors and began typing away at the keyboard. “Ku ku, funny you mention that, commander…”
The sergeant watched the monitors as Kururu continued to swiftly push keys. It didn’t take long for there to be something to appear on one of the screens—a video. This wasn’t just a normal video; it was recorded from one of Kururu’s surveillance cameras. The footage showed Keroro sleeping peacefully in his bed with what it seemed to be his nightlight projector.
“My cameras picked up on something very interesting a few nights ago,” Kururu turned the audio up a bit.
Keroro listened closely. It sounded like he was mumbling something in his sleep... but you could faintly make out what he was saying.
What he heard made him wish his nonexistent ears were deceiving him.
With the volume turned up loud enough for both keronians to hear, they could plainly comprehend what came out of Keroro’s mouth. The speakers especially helped with that. “…Kururu…”
Keroro froze. He somewhat recalls the dream where he had said such a name. The video was still playing and he heard the same name being released from his mouth once again.
The sergeant could not move. He didn’t want to admit to it, but he really did want Kururu to go to bed with him. He looked back at Kururu, who then finally stopped the recorded footage. Kururu swiveled his chair back around to face Keroro. He sat there like he was waiting for an explanation that wasn’t there.
Keroro blushed as he lowered his head in defeat. Kururu held the projector in his hands. “Well, you must be tuckered out from running around trying to find who had this in the first place, ku ku,”
The sergeant major got down from his chair and went over to Keroro. Once he was in front of him, he waited for him to take the projector from his hands.
The leader of the platoon took hold of the projector that he had been so desperately trying to find all night. He stared at its design. It looked the same as when he had first received it from Kururu. He held it to his chest.
“Ku ku, I guess I’ll see you in bed~,” Kururu said as he began to walk out of his lab.
Keroro stood there, blushing. “H-hey! Wait!” he exclaimed, running to catch up with Kururu.