"Ling, do I need to go along for these commissions?" Hoshimi Aya asked.
She couldn't understand the specialized knowledge involved; all she caught was that they needed to find something and conduct some kind of inspection.
"No need, just leave those to Eous."
"You aren't needed for now."
"I'm preparing to take on a commission."
"Aya, why don't you go around and have some fun on your own?" Ling shook her head and refused.
Hoshimi Aya nodded, left the Video Store, and walked toward Light Reflection Square.
Eventually, Hoshimi Aya arrived at the milk tea shop where Coco was.
At that moment, Coco was standing at the entrance of the milk tea shop.
"Hi, beautiful, long time no see." Hoshimi Aya greeted her.
"It's Aya! I thought it was someone else; you scared me." Coco nodded.
"Speaking of which, Aya, you haven't been here to buy milk tea these past few days."
She had noticed Aya hadn't come by and had even taken time off work to check the Video Store, only to find no one there.
"Yeah, I've been in the Outer Ring these last few days."
"That's why I haven't been around."
"Hurry up and make me one." Saying that, Hoshimi Aya sat down on a chair.
Seeing this, Coco nodded, went inside the shop, and started getting busy.
Soon, Coco made two cups: one for herself and one for Aya.
At this time of day, there weren't many customers, so they could chat for a while.
"Aya, can you tell me about the environment in the Outer Ring?" Coco inquired.
"I heard the order isn't very good there, and the environment isn't great either."
"It's not entirely true, but the environment certainly can't compare to the city center."
"As for public safety, it's acceptable enough."
"At least when I was there, there weren't any robbers blocking the road."
"There are Motorcycle Clans there; transporting goods relies on the Motorcycle Clans."
"You know, those who ride motorcycles?"
"Coco, you know, right?" Hoshimi Aya described her experiences in the Outer Ring to Coco, but she omitted the part about being kidnapped, choosing to skip it.
She talked about the local customs, culture, and environment.
Coco listened with sparkling eyes. She had never been to the Outer Ring, so her knowledge of it was superficial.
Suddenly, a group of schoolgirls walked over.
Among them was a familiar figure to Hoshimi Aya: Ellen Joe, and Ellen.
It looked like they were there to buy milk tea.
"What are you doing here?" Ellen looked at Hoshimi Aya, who was sitting in a chair drinking milk tea, with confusion.
Logically, shouldn't she still be in the Outer Ring?
"I'm back."
"They said they were checking my body."
"But they didn't find anything wrong."
Hoshimi Aya explained.
"Huh?!"
"Ellen, you know each other?"
"Hello, we are Ellen's friends." Ellen started introducing herself.
They were Ruby, Rin, and Mona.
"Come to think of it, Aya, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
"But I can't quite place it." Ruby struck a thoughtful pose, clearly trying to recall where she'd seen her.
"I live on Sixth Street, so it's normal if we've met before."
"I saw you all at the arcade on Sixth Street before, though we didn't know each other then."
Hoshimi Aya nodded.
It was likely when they passed by the arcade on Sixth Street; that was the only time they might have crossed paths.
"No, no, definitely not Sixth Street." Ruby shook her head, rejecting that idea.
"I remember now, it was in the newspapers and on the news."
"Are you the Eldest Miss or the Second Miss of the Hoshimi Family?" Rin asked, sounding uncertain.
She couldn't tell if Hoshimi Aya was the older or younger sister. She certainly couldn't impolitely pull out a ruler to measure their ears, although she momentarily considered it.
Doing something so rude right after meeting them would be too impolite.
Besides, for a Thiren, things like ears and tails cannot be touched casually.
They were only close enough to Ellen to be allowed to touch her tail.
If anyone else touched Ellen's tail, she might just knock them out with a swift flick.
Moreover, according to the news, both sisters possessed Void Hunter Level strength; they were incredibly powerful. If she triggered a reflex, wouldn't she be sent flying?
"...The Second Miss, I think." Ellen snorted in response.
"The Eldest Miss is usually too busy and wouldn't have the leisure to sit here drinking tea."
"It seems you and Aya are quite close, Ellen." Mona remarked.
"I didn't expect you to have such important people as friends!"
"Ellen, didn't you always say your only friends were us?"
"And how could people like us cross paths with such important figures?" Mona pondered how Ellen managed to connect with such a prominent person.
"Well... how should I put it?" Hoshimi Aya jumped in to answer the question.
"I saw Ellen in the park, asleep because of low blood sugar."
"Out of kindness, I offered her a piece of candy."
"To thank me, Ellen agreed to let me touch her tail anytime afterward."
The three heard this and looked at Ellen in disbelief.
Regarding touching the tail, the three of them had begged for a long time before Ellen reluctantly allowed them to touch it, and even then, they couldn't do anything too rough.
But with Hoshimi Aya, it was different?
"Don't listen to her nonsense." Ellen glared at Hoshimi Aya.
"She's making it all up!"
"How could I possibly be bought off with just one piece of candy?!"
"Her story sounds completely fake, okay?"
"That's right, that's right." Hoshimi Aya, stirring up trouble, continued speaking.
"So, I used a whole handful of candy to get the full access."
"Ellen's tail is soft."
"It feels great to touch, but you can't squeeze it."
"Last time I touched it, I tried to give it a little squeeze, and Ellen immediately pulled her tail back."
The three looked at Ellen, increasingly shocked.
"Aha, Ellen!" Ruby exclaimed.
"I never expected you to be that kind of person!"
"Is it because the candy we gave you wasn't enough that you don't allow us to touch your tail freely?"
"You are too much!" Ruby said angrily, actually pulling two pieces of candy out of her pocket.
"That's right, that's right, we want to touch it too!" The other two followed suit, pulling one or two pieces of candy from their pockets.
Then, the three of them, one after another, touched Ellen's tail.
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