[The three rushed anxiously to find Hanya. After explaining the situation, even Hanya's usually expressionless face darkened with a layer of shadow.]
[Searching aimlessly wouldn't work—they decided to question Cirrus first.]
[Facing their interrogation, Cirrus openly admitted it. Yes, Huohuo had come to ask it about clues to Tail. It had gone along with the plan, using fake information about Tail to lure Huohuo to Cloudford. But there was no Tail there—only other Suiyang lying in wait for Huohuo to walk right into their trap.]
["You should have faith in your friend! Maybe Huohuo is perfectly fine. Maybe she casually subdued that Suiyang? Maybe if you hurry to Cloudford now, you'll still find her?"]
[Cirrus sneered with malicious sarcasm. Though its smug attitude was infuriating, now wasn't the time to deal with it. Stelle and the others raced without stopping to Cloudford and indeed found Huohuo lying unconscious at the ferry crossing.]
[Huohuo didn't look fainted, but she showed no response at all. Hanya judged that her mind had likely been hijacked by a Suiyang—just like with Bailu, Fu Xuan, and the others.]
[Hanya planned to take Huohuo back to the Ten-Lords Commission—they had their own methods to drag the Suiyang out.]
[But Guinaifen was frantic and pressed urgently: "Miss Hanya, please be honest—does the Ten-Lords Commission have any way to fix this?"]
["…"]
[After a moment of consideration, Hanya slowly drew a Moon-Gazing Gourd from behind her: "Let another Suiyang help us exorcise the demon and drive out the one occupying Huohuo's mind."]
["But… how could any Suiyang be willing to help humans?" Guinaifen suddenly realized and her eyes widened: "Wait—Miss Hanya, do you mean…?"]
[Tail lazily emerged from inside the gourd.]
["Tail… has actually been kept right here all along."]
——
Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child.
Nezha kicked over the stone table beside him. His crimson pupils stared fixedly at the Celestial Screen, teeth grinding audibly.
"Those Ten-Lords Commission bastards—they knew exactly where Tail was and still played dumb! Letting Huohuo get schemed against by that scum Cirrus!"
Ao Bing stood quietly to the side, his sleeve lightly flicking. A clear stream of water condensed from thin air into a pillar, steadying the nearly toppled table. He looked up at the Celestial Screen and gently shook his head: "Nezha, Miss Hanya is a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission—her actions must have their reasons."
"Reasons?!" Nezha scoffed. "What a load of crap! The reason is staying silent and watching Huohuo run around like an ant on a hot pan, searching desperately? Getting possessed by another Suiyang?!"
"Huohuo lacked confidence before—she always thought she only joined the Ten-Lords Commission because of Tail. But this time Tail's disappearance is both a test for her and a chance to rebuild her self-belief." Ao Bing gazed at the Celestial Screen, his voice like wind over a cold pond: "Opportunities like this don't come often. This might be the only one Huohuo gets in her lifetime."
"Besides… Nezha, you should trust the Ten-Lords Commission's methods." Ao Bing said softly, "Even if you don't trust the Commission, trust Tail. Trust the bond they've built over all these years."
"Do you really think Tail is the kind of Suiyang who would just hand Huohuo over to another one?"
"…That sentence was really roundabout."
"Was it?" Ao Bing gave a light smile. "As long as you understand, that's fine."
——
["Wh-What?!" Guinaifen's voice unconsciously rose several degrees.]
["Little girl, don't act so shocked." Tail wore its usual nonchalant grin.]
["Shocked?! Huohuo has been worrying herself sick over you—unable to eat or drink—and now another bad thing has taken advantage of her!" Sushang glared accusingly at Tail.]
["You flame dumpling! What the heck is going on?" Guinaifen still hadn't recovered from the shock and stared blankly at Hanya: "Don't tell me, Miss Hanya—you knew all along?"]
[Hanya explained: all free-roaming Suiyang must be sealed—not just regulation, but also Tail's own request.]
[Tail recalled that night's events—his consciousness nearly shattering, flashing through his past like a revolving lantern. He had thought escaping would let him possess a new body and live freely, but—]
["He was lucky—he ran into me." Hanya finished for him.]
[Tail rolled his eyes: "Ran into the worst luck of my life—bumped into this female ghost…" Hanya's gaze dropped, and he immediately corrected himself: "I mean the Judge!"]
[Back when Tail was around, Huohuo had complained endlessly about how much she hated her life. At this point, Tail let out a gloating laugh: "Heh heh, didn't appreciate a powerful superior like me. Now that you've lost me, crying and regretting won't help. I just wanted to hear her cry. So in a fit of anger, I had this female ghost… Judge seal me into the gourd."]
[Hanya gave Tail a chance to return to normal—not back into the gourd, but back into Huohuo's body. The condition: he had to drive out the intruder inside her first.]
["Hey, we're old colleagues after all—leave it to me with confidence!"]
——
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
In the tavern, Aqua suddenly leaped down from the barrel, her long blue hair tracing an arc through the air. She pointed dramatically at the light screen above with her right hand, letting out a monkey-like screech.
"Oh oh oh—I get it!" Aqua's mouth formed a little circle, her face one of sudden realization: "Isn't this exactly the same attitude Kazuma has toward this goddess?!"
Kazuma lay sprawled on the bench like a dead fish. At her words, he lazily cracked open one eye: "Huh? What nonsense is this useless goddess—who doesn't even qualify as a mascot—babbling about?"
Aqua flicked her long shawl-like hair upward with her right hand, striking a "I totally understand you" pose and giggling: "Hmph, Kazuma—if one day I…"
"I'll throw a party to celebrate." Kazuma cut her off decisively, casually tossing the leftover apple core straight into her open mouth with pinpoint accuracy.
"Pfft—!" Aqua flailed frantically to spit out the core, stomping her feet in rage. "You—y-you jerk…"
But almost immediately inspiration struck. She clasped her hands in a prayer pose, a sly glint flashing in her eyes that really didn't suit her: "I get it now, Kazuma. You must be saying all this because you're secretly terrified of losing me! This is classic tsundere, right? Oh my gosh, so dishonest~ When the day comes that the Demon King's army captures me…"
"I'll help pack your bags." Kazuma yawned.