"Hmm? Friends? I don't have friends."
Moxi twirled her twin‑tails around her fingers as she spoke casually.
Taking advantage of a break in filming that afternoon, Tamamo Hotaru had tried once again to "get close to" and investigate Moxi.
Moxi's answer caught her off guard.
"You're so cute… how could you not have friends?"
"Funny coming from someone who obviously doesn't have any either."
Moxi rolled her eyes.
Tamamo Hotaru was instantly lost for words.
It was true… they were pretty much in the same boat. Neither was in any position to look down on the other.
Moxi had no friends… and did she herself have any?
For some reason, she suddenly thought of that jerk who always manipulated and controlled her. Could what they had be called friendship?
She shook her head bitterly.
Friends were supposed to be equals from start to finish. But she had owed him a huge debt from the very beginning, a debt she still hadn't repaid.
And on top of that, she was completely dependent on his protection.
No matter how you looked at it, that kind of relationship was nothing like friendship.
A wave of loneliness washed over her.
Noticing the sudden change in her mood, Moxi first stood on her tiptoes, then said angrily, "Lower your head!"
"Oh… okay."
Tamamo Hotaru obeyed without thinking. Then, a small little hand reached up and patted her gently on the top of her head a couple of times.
"Someone once told me that doing this makes people feel safe and comforted…"
"Don't look at me like that! I was just curious to see if it actually worked or not, that's all!"
Seeing Moxi acting so stubborn yet shy, Tamamo Hotaru couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She really thought this tsundere little girl was absolutely adorable.
Of course, this was only because Tamamo had only vaguely seen the terrifying form Moxi could take right before she herself escaped from the Red Chamber long ago.
Plus, Shinji had never told her the truth about Moxi's true identity. Otherwise, she would have immediately taken back that compliment.
That monstrous power capable of destroying heaven and earth simply didn't fit the word "cute" at all.
Right now, these two former "homebodies" from the Red Chamber seemed to have closed the distance between them, chatting happily away.
Though, naturally, neither of them told the truth about their own pasts.
Honest people who bare their hearts to others after only meeting a few times were truly rare creatures — a species doomed to extinction sooner or later.
"I'm curious… why did you become an actress? Did you dream of doing this since you were little?"
Moxi stretched her flat chest casually and replied, "I'm not that bored. I just quit my last job because it wasn't profitable anymore. I happened to pass through this area, so I decided to change up my life. Enough about me… what about you? Are all those rumors about you true? Are you really a runaway princess?"
Tamamo Hotaru was speechless. "Me? A princess? How could that possibly be true!"
"Then how did you squeeze out that woman over there and take the lead role?"
Moxi winked toward Kazahana Yukihime, who was sitting alone in the distance.
Tamamo Hotaru scratched her nose awkwardly and said quietly, "Actually… everything was arranged by someone else. I didn't have a choice. I… I owe that person a huge amount of money — way more than I could ever pay back. So… he sent me here to act in movies to work off my debt. Oh right — this project was actually falling apart and about to be cancelled, but he took it over by force and poured a lot of money into it just for this."
"Huh? There are people stupid enough to do that?"
Moxi looked completely baffled. She had never heard of such a ridiculous logic: "You owe me money, so I'll turn you into a celebrity just so you can pay me back."
It was utterly absurd!
It was basically like… shearing wool from your own sheep!
"Stupid?! Far from it… I hate acting, and I definitely don't want to be famous."
"Is that so…"
Moxi nodded thoughtfully. She began wondering if she should just solve this problem for her beloved lady.
If that guy knew what was good for him, fine. But if not… she had plenty of ways to make people disappear forever.
If the creditor vanished, naturally the debt would vanish too.
Then she could take her beautiful lady far away and live happily ever after together… hehehe~
Moxi began grinning to herself as her imagination ran wild.
Kazahana Yukihime sat not far away, waiting for the makeup touch‑ups, watching those two chatting so happily with quite a bit of envy.
If she hadn't known their relationship was based on that kind of dynamic, she might have been tempted to join them too.
After all, her daily life really was incredibly boring.
Moxi had no friends… and did she herself have any?
At best, she had those fake "sisters" in the industry — temporary partners who praised each other publicly while stabbing each other in the back privately.
Honestly, having friends like that was worse than having none at all — at least then you didn't have to constantly watch your back.
...
"What? You want to meet the guy I owe money to?"
After filming finished for the day, Moxi suddenly asked this, leaving Tamamo Hotaru completely flustered.
"Aren't you unhappy with your current situation? I want to go and… have a serious talk with him. Who knows? Maybe I can sort everything out."
Moxi spoke with a deliberately innocent and naive expression.
Tamamo Hotaru didn't realize that Moxi was simply lusting after her. She actually felt quite moved.
Even though they had only known each other a short while, Moxi was willing to go this far for her sake.
But…
"It's useless. Besides… I'm pretty sure that guy likes girls exactly like you. If you go to him voluntarily, you'll just be throwing yourself into a tiger's mouth! No way — I can't drag you down into this mess too."
Moxi's eyes instantly lit up.
"You're absolutely sure he likes my type?"
"I think so… actually, right from the start, he was the one who told me to find out everything about you. He's definitely got bad intentions toward you."
"Perfect!"
"Huh?"
"Uh… I mean… that guy sounds absolutely despicable! I can't just stand by and let him do whatever he wants! Don't worry — just arrange a meeting with him for me. I'll take care of this whole thing for you!"
Now that she knew this guy was just another pervert with weird preferences, Moxi confidently patted her flat chest.
Dealing with men like that was what she was best at. And people like him would never dare make a scene or tell anyone if they got played — they were incredibly easy to handle and manipulate.
"You look… strangely excited about this…"
Tamamo Hotaru looked at her with a mix of confusion and helplessness.
"Really? No way… you must be seeing things. I'm just angry on your behalf!"
"Is that really it…?"
"You don't believe me?"
"Of course I do…"
"Then it's settled! Arrange it as soon as possible!"
Tamamo Hotaru nodded helplessly.
When she got back, she hesitated for a moment, but eventually reported the whole conversation to Shinji.
"Hmm? She wants to meet me? Why? Did you reveal everything?" Shinji frowned slightly.
Tamamo Hotaru thought about it — technically speaking, yes, she had revealed everything. So she nodded.
"I told her the truth. She says she has a way to handle you."
Whoa…
She's got some guts!
"Does she have any accomplices or partners here?"
Accomplices?
He meant friends, right?
Tamamo shook her head. "No. I think she was telling the truth — she really is alone."
If it was just her alone, Shinji had absolutely no reason to be afraid.
"Fine. I'll meet her. Tell her to come to the abandoned factory in the East District tomorrow night at 7:00 PM. I want to see exactly where she gets her confidence from!"
Shinji probably never imagined that the two of them were having completely different conversations on entirely different wavelengths.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"