At Anby and Nekomiya's strong insistence, Mo Wang drove the Cunning Hares back to Sixth Street in his regular work van. He also treated them to a hearty lunch.
"I'm... alive again~"
At Master Cho's ramen stand, Nicole, having already devoured three bowls, finally put down her chopsticks and rubbed her bulging belly with a blissful expression. She looked like she was pregnant.
"It's just a bowl of ramen. Is it really that big of a deal?"
Mo Wang looked at the Cunning Hares, who were eating like they'd been starved for a week, and his gaze lingered on Nicole's stomach. How did she fit so much in there?
"What do you know! Master Cho's ramen is the best in Sixth Street! I have to eat my fill when I get the chance," Nicole retorted, blushing under his scrutinizing gaze.
"Heh, more like you're trying to save money on food for the next few days, right? You really never miss a chance to fleece me."
Mo Wang saw right through her little scheme.
"Hohoho, the young lady is right. Since you like my ramen so much, this bowl is on the house."
Master Cho, however, was delighted by Nicole's praise and presented her with a super deluxe, extra-large bowl of ramen.
"Th-this..."
Nicole, who was already about to burst, turned green at the sight of the massive bowl in front of her. She wanted to refuse, but seeing Master Cho's enthusiastic expression, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and start eating.
"Mo Wang, help me eat some, please~"
After just a few bites, Nicole couldn't take it anymore.
"You brought this on yourself. Who told you to eat so much before?"
With a sigh, Mo Wang took two-thirds of the ramen from her bowl and put it in his own.
Nicole let out a sigh of relief.
"By the way, Anby, are you sure you don't want another bowl? It's on me today," Mo Wang said, turning to Anby. The others had already had at least three bowls, but she had stopped at two.
"No, thank you. I'm full," she said, blushing.
"Full?"
He glanced at the two empty bowls in front of her, and then at her, his eyes filled with suspicion.
"It's not because... I'm saving room for a hamburger later..." she mumbled, turning her head away.
"I knew it."
Mo Wang wasn't surprised at all. She was just like her sister, Number 11. But while Sharin loved Master Cho's super spicy ramen, Anby had a strange obsession with hamburgers.
"That was delicious, meow. I wish I could eat like this every day," Nekomiya said, putting down her bowl with a satisfied look. She had eaten the most, a whopping five bowls.
She then turned to Mo Wang, her eyes sparkling, hinting at something.
"You made a lot of money this time, didn't you? You can just come back tomorrow if you want," he said, completely oblivious to her hint.
"Meow~ That little bit of money isn't enough for me to eat like this. Waaah, is there a kind boss who can treat Nekomiya to a nice meal?"
"Hehehe, if you come to my store and work as a free clerk, I might consider treating you again," he said, mercilessly crushing her hopes of a free meal.
"Food and lodging included? That's not a bad deal," she said, actually considering it. After all, working for Mo Wang was better than starving with Nicole.
"Hey! Are you really going to be bought over with just a few bowls of ramen? Are you really trying to poach my staff?!" Nicole glared at Mo Wang. The Cunning Hares were already pitiful enough. If Nekomiya left, Billy would be their only source of damage output.
Nicole kept a close eye on Mo Wang for the rest of the meal, afraid he would use some other trick to steal away her precious employee.
But she was overthinking it. He was already in the red. He couldn't afford to feed a few more big eaters from the Cunning Hares.
Why is it that even with all the knowledge and power I have, I'm still struggling with money? he wondered. And then it hit him—he was just too lazy.
Becoming a criminal is too much trouble, and Belle would probably scold me to death. Being a boss is also a pain. The Ark is already enough of a headache, not to mention all the complicated factions in New Eridu. I'm better off just running my little shop.
At least he still had time to play a few games every day.
"Welcome back, Brother!"
Belle threw herself at him as he walked through the door of the video store.
But he just took a step back, and she went flying past him.
"What's the big idea? Shouldn't you hug your cute little sister when she comes to greet you?" she pouted.
"Heh, you didn't miss me. You just wanted what's in this box, didn't you?" he said, handing her the box of Astra's merchandise.
"Ehehe, you know me so well."
"Of course I do. By the way, if you want to see Astra, you can just call her. With your relationship, do you really need this stuff?"
"It's not the same," she retorted. "Friends are friends, idols are idols!"
"Isn't it weird to buy merchandise of your friend?" he grumbled. He would never understand the minds of fans.
"Ahem, by the way, Brother, shouldn't we contact Astra about this? After all, this is her stuff that was lost, right?"
"I guess we should."
He sent Astra a message, and to his surprise, she replied immediately.
[Cutest Astra]: You have my stuff? Wait for me, I'm on my way!
She seems to be in a hurry. Is there something wrong with this stuff? he wondered.
BOOM!
The door burst open, and Astra rushed in.
"That was fast," he said, scratching his head.
"Quick! Wang, Belle, let me hide!" she said, and then ran upstairs.
"Wh-what's going on?" Belle was confused.
"Hah, that girl... she didn't skip work again, did she?"
Just then, two men in black suits walked in. "Mr. Mo, good afternoon..."
"You two again?" he sighed. "How many times has it been? Does your young miss really like coming here that much?"
"Well... Miss Astra said she was going to the restroom, and then she disappeared. We're just doing our jobs..."
"She's upstairs," he said, ratting her out. "But you'd better not go up there. you know her temper."
The two bodyguards smiled wryly. They were all too familiar with Mo Wang and their young miss's antics.
"We'll just wait here then," one of them said into his walkie-talkie.
"Astra is so cute. She ran all the way here just to skip work," Belle giggled.
"Cute? Last time she hid here, I got an earful from Evelyn for a whole hour."
"Mr. Mo," one of the bodyguards said, "could you please try to persuade the young miss? She has an important commercial shoot today..."
"I'll try. You guys can go back. I'll have Evelyn pick her up later."
"Thank you so much. You're always helping us out."
After the bodyguards left, Astra peeked her head out from upstairs. "Phew~ They're finally gone."
"You know, you could try hiding somewhere else next time," he said, pinching her nose. "My store is getting swarmed with your fans."
"Hehe, I'm just helping you promote your store. You should thank me," she said proudly.
If anyone else saw the famous idol acting like a spoiled little girl in front of a regular video store owner, their jaws would probably drop. It was a scene straight out of a movie: My Girlfriend Is an International Superstar.