As it turned out, that middle‑aged man with the sleazy manner really was a talent scout — and a fairly capable one at that.
Early the next morning, he showed up at their door, earnest and sincere, insisting that Tamamo Hotaru had all the makings of a superstar.
Then, catching sight of Shinji, he paused for a moment before quickly handing over a second business card.
"Okajima Kizō?"
"That's right. I'm a scout from Kameow Film & Entertainment. Interested in joining us? Most of our most famous talents are actresses, sure… but with looks as striking as yours, you could debut as an idol and have girls falling all over themselves for you, no question."
Kizō had never expected to find two potential stars on the same trip back. If he could bring them both in, his boss would surely double his salary just to keep him happy!
But his excitement was premature.
"Debute as an idol? 'You're not some kind of demon', are you? Forget it — not interested."
As if I'd become an idol… this isn't some celebrity romance story.
While Kizō was still puzzling over whether "you're not some kind of demon" was meant as a compliment or an insult, Shinji's clear refusal hit him hard.
No matter how grandly he described his company, Shinji remained unmoved.
Finally, Shinji simply said, "You want to sign her, right? Then let's talk business properly. I'm her manager."
"Huh?"
Tamamo Hotaru stared in utter confusion. How did I just get sold out in the blink of an eye?
And since when did I have such an impressive manager?
Shinji shot her a look signaling her to stay calm and play along.
When you're under someone's roof, you have to play by their rules.
Not wanting to end up handed over to the Cloud Village, Tamamo Hotaru forced a stiff, polite smile.
Meanwhile, Shinji's mind was working fast. He suddenly remembered the intelligence report: every celebrity who had died recently in the Land of Wu had been extremely famous.
Could that be the common thread connecting all the cases?
If so… could they use this to lure the killer out into the open?
Instead of wasting time searching blindly, setting a trap seemed like the smarter move.
And Tamamo Hotaru was going to be his bait.
She had been eating and living at his expense for ages, after all — charging a little interest was only fair!
The scout thought it over and decided not to push it. If he couldn't get two stars, one was still good enough.
And now that Shinji had claimed to be her manager, there might still be opportunities later.
After a full hour of negotiations, Kizō finally left, satisfied.
Tamamo Hotaru then collapsed onto the ground without a shred of dignity, looking completely bewildered.
Why on earth do I have to go act in some movie all of a sudden?
When Shinji explained his plan, she realized she had just been turned into bait. She was speechless.
"I quit!"
"Fine by me. First, settle the bill for when I escorted you to the Land of Vegetables. Then go wherever you like — I won't stop you."
"Er… what I meant to say is, I'm actually a really good actress. I'm sure I can help! I'll do my best!"
"Good. But if you mess this up, I'm selling you straight to Kumogakure."
"…"
---
When they set off again, the middle‑aged scout was now part of their group.
He spent the entire journey lecturing Tamamo Hotaru on all sorts of "industry knowledge" and rules she had to remember.
For example: never sit in any random chair on set, always greet senior actors respectfully…
It was driving her crazy, but she couldn't lash out. She just nodded along, looking utterly miserable.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before they finally reached the Land of Wu.
It was indeed unlike any other country they had seen.
Clean, orderly, stylish, and modern — that was Shinji's first impression. Compared to this place, even Konoha looked decades behind, almost primitive.
Not far away, a film crew was shooting on location. Even though they were using old‑style film cameras, the whole atmosphere felt strangely familiar to Shinji.
"Scene 16, Take 1 — ACTION!"
"Production The Daimyō's Love needs ten extras. Must have decent features and be willing to work hard!"
"Me! Pick me! Over here!"
"Meal time! Lunch is curry rice today!"
…
Instead of rushing straight to business, Shinji led his group around the area, watching everything with great interest.
Only later did they follow Okajima Kizō to his company's headquarters.
Upon meeting them, the boss made an instant decision to sign Tamamo Hotaru, promising to invest heavily in making her a star.
It just went to show: even in the entertainment industry, beauty of her caliber was considered top‑tier.
The company clearly meant what they said — they arranged accommodation, and even offered to hire acting coaches to train her.
Hearing that, Shinji happily "handed her over" to them.
Then he and the others found separate lodgings and began gathering information.
According to local talk, just the day before their arrival, another actress had been brutally murdered.
Although the major studios had worked together to suppress the news, rumors had spread fast, leaving everyone on edge.
If the problem wasn't solved soon, people would start fleeing the place.
After all, nothing mattered more than staying alive.
While wandering around, Shinji unexpectedly ran into someone he knew.
"Lord! Run away! The enemy is catching up!"
"No! I will never abandon my people and flee alone!"
"Waaaah~"
A group of samurai rushed onto the set, and a chaotic battle began.
Clash, clang, bang…
When the noise died down, only the heroine remained alive, sobbing over the hero's "body."
"PERFECT! CUT!"
A portly director shouted excitedly through a megaphone. The "corpses" on the ground stood up, and the crew began clearing the set immediately.
"Yukihime, your acting was absolutely brilliant!"
"Thank you, Director."
"How about coming over to my place tonight to celebrate? I think we can expand your role a bit more."
"I'm sorry, Director. I'm not feeling well today. Maybe next time."
"Fair enough. We have plenty of time, haha."
Kazahana Yukihime suppressed her disgust and politely turned down his advances.
The moment she left, the director's expression turned cold. "Hmph… ungrateful little brat."
The assistant director beside him leaned in and whispered, "If the 'Lady General' won't play nice, there's still the little maid over there. Sometimes a change of flavor hits the spot."
The director glanced toward a lone young girl nearby — blonde hair, twin tails — and grinned wickedly.
The assistant director understood instantly and went off to make arrangements.
That young girl with blonde twin tails was none other than the extra who had been crying "waaah~" earlier.
Shinji stood at a distance, watching closely. Eventually, he was absolutely certain — that little girl was Moxi, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit he had met back at the Red Chamber!
"But wasn't she rescued and taken away? How is she here all alone? Could there be some kind of plot going on?"
He thought it over but couldn't see the logic. What possible gain would a group of Special Grade Cursed Spirits get from targeting a handful of actresses?
Could this really just be a coincidence?
Shinji was thoroughly confused. Still, he decided not to reveal himself or disturb anything yet. Instead, he prepared to watch and monitor her from the shadows.
____________________
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