Sixth Street, Video Store.
It was nearly evening by the time Hoshimi Aya returned here.
"Belle, Wise, I'm back."
As she spoke, Hoshimi Aya pushed open the door to the secret room.
She saw Belle and Wise sitting on the sofa, with the TV playing their previous press conference.
However, only Soichiro was there giving a solo speech now.
"Aya?"
"Why are you back?"
"I thought you'd be staying at the Hoshimi Family's place for a while."
Belle looked at the figure at the door with some surprise.
After all, the identity verification press conference had just been held; one would expect her to stay for a bit.
"Yeah, I was a bit worried about the situation with Nekomata."
"So I came back as soon as I settled things over there."
Hoshimi Aya nodded.
"Is that so?"
"But the situation with Nekomata has already been resolved."
"Ollie was indeed set up, but fortunately, it was resolved safely."
After saying that, Belle began to recount the situation at the time to Hoshimi Aya.
It was mostly the same as the game's plot, except for the addition of those two white-haired girls, Twiggy and Girl A.
Because Nekomata had been running to the Video Store frequently lately, Twiggy suspected she was up to something and followed her.
"Mm, some things happened on my end too."
"My blade has undergone some changes."
Saying this, Hoshimi Aya drew her blade; the pair of fox eyes on the blade were exceptionally striking.
"This is...!"
Belle and Wise hurriedly went to Hoshimi Aya's side to examine the blade.
Seeing this, Hoshimi Aya also told them what had happened at the Hoshimi Family's place.
For example, her promise to the Nine-Tailed Fox and her acceptance of the Nine-Tailed Fox's matters.
And what happened when they swapped blades.
"I see."
"But Aya, are you sure you can control the Cursed Blade now?"
Belle asked with some doubt.
After all, this kind of thing isn't necessarily controllable.
The specific reason for the loss of control hasn't been found yet.
"Probably... I'm not sure."
Hoshimi Aya pondered.
She had indeed been directly controlled before, and the specifics are currently unclear.
She couldn't be certain if it would lose control again.
"Alright, let's stick to the original plan."
"The blade will still be kept in Wise's room."
With that, Belle stuffed the blade into Wise's arms.
Afterward, the group headed to Uncle Chop's Waterfall Soup Noodles for some ramen.
...
A few days later.
Shepherd came to the Video Store.
"The two Phaethons, my old friends, it's been a while. How have you been lately?"
Shepherd asked with a smile.
"And of course you, the Second Miss of the Hoshimi Family. I watched that press conference back then too."
"I didn't expect you really weren't that Void Hunter, but her younger sister."
Shepherd said, looking at Hoshimi Aya with a smile.
"Thanks to you, we're doing quite well."
"Of course, it would be even better if you could bring us the business we need."
Wise replied.
"Oh my, the Assistant Manager has put it so bluntly."
"I don't even know how to bring up the next topic."
Shepherd felt a bit awkward; he indeed didn't have such a commission task.
"It seems the news you brought today isn't very pleasant," Belle mused.
Belle thought.
"You three, listen to me, this is purely due to force majeure."
"To ensure the safety of the election, the city has recently tightened security. Not only on major roads, but personnel have also been stationed at the exits of The Hollow connecting to the Outer Ring."
"Although there have always been many private merchants from the Outer Ring using The Hollow to transport goods..."
"But the risks have skyrocketed lately, and most clients have given up on the idea of doing business in the city for the time being."
"Even if someone takes the risk, those small merchants certainly won't have what you want."
"After all, you gave up the previous commissions from me and turned to the Outer Ring business instead; you must be looking for a reliable source of information, right?"
Shepherd explained.
"Shepherd, it's better not to make wild guesses."
Belle said, looking at Shepherd.
"Hehe, it seems that to keep my old customers, I should say a bit less."
Shepherd laughed awkwardly.
"Take what I'm about to say as me talking to myself."
"If you want to inquire for news in the Outer Ring, you could try getting to know the Motorcycle Clan over there."
Shepherd pondered.
"Motorcycle Clan?"
Hoshimi Aya wondered.
Is the plot of the Hellfire Ride coming this soon?
"People in the Outer Ring live very scattered."
"Most of their supplies depend on the Motorcycle Clan for transport."
"These people not only have prestige among the residents, but they are also the most well-informed."
"Unfortunately, this is beyond my business scope. This old man can only help you this much."
Shepherd explained.
Then Shepherd left, as this was the only news he could bring.
"Although we got a useful piece of information, the difficulty of the search hasn't decreased at all."
Belle mused.
"Well, I think there should be news in a few days."
"It's certain now that Perlman is in the Outer Ring. Wanted posters for him are all over the city now."
"There should be some in the Outer Ring too. Maybe he's been caught by the people there."
Hoshimi Aya revealed some of the plot.
After all, revealing too much isn't good; it would be bad if things developed toward unpredictable factors.
"That possibility can't be ruled out, but there's another possibility: Perlman is already dead."
"The reason we haven't found any information might be because of one of these two possibilities."
Wise nodded.
"Yeah, exactly."
"But speaking of which..."
"Aya, when did your brain start working so fast again?"
"Could it be that every time you use your brain, you need a cooldown period of several days?"
Belle looked at Hoshimi Aya, puzzled.
To say she's smart, she's usually dazed.
To say she's not smart, she always has a flash of inspiration at critical moments, thinking ahead of others.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"How can there be a cooldown period for using one's brain?"
"I've always been this smart, okay?"
"It's just that I don't use it much usually."
"In fact, I'm quite clever."
"And most of the time, I'm smart as hell."
Hoshimi Aya raised her chin proudly.
Although she was slightly suspected of copying the answers, they didn't know.
So what's the difference between this and her own thinking?
None!
So, she came up with it herself.
"Yes, yes, yes, Aya is the smartest."
"Then, smart Aya, can you calculate which stock to buy recently?"
"I just happen to want to strike it rich lately."
Belle said, hugging Hoshimi Aya's arm and acting spoiled.
...
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