Chapter 37: The Sister-in-Law Outsmarting the Air.
...
It was hardly surprising for Momo to think this way. Upon arriving at the set, the passionate career women had made her realize that Kihara's title as a "top-trending actor" was no exaggeration. The way many staff members looked at him was like carnivores eyeing a tender, juicy lamb.
Aside from wanting to strip him clean and devour him, they harbored no other thoughts whatsoever.
She realized that apart from scoring Kihara through observation, she also needed to stay at maximum alert, watching Kyoko Kirisaki's every move to keep her from seducing her brother-in-law.
Although she lacked actual romantic experience herself, Momo had cleared countess galaxy-famous dating sims in her quest to find a good husband for Lala.
Leaving aside the art of winning a boy's heart, her ability to spot a scheming rival was absolutely top-notch.
'Bring it on! These eyes of mine won't miss a single thieving cat!'
"Kihara-kun, take a look at the line here. Wouldn't it be better to tweak it slightly?"
"Where at?"
"Right here, the part where the male lead first encounters the female lead..."
Seeing Kyoko proactively lean in close to Kihara, holding her script out in front of him, Momo's spirits surged. She declared inwardly:
'Here it comes! Using work as an excuse to close the physical distance. Next, she'll 'accidentally' bump her shoulder against his!'
Before Momo could force her way between them, Kihara casually shifted his body to maintain a safe distance just before her shoulder could brush against him. "The dialogue while being chased by a monster should indeed feel a bit more urgent. Let's make a mark for now and perform it as written during this afternoon's run-through. If it feels off, we can discuss revisions then."
"I understand."
Taking back her script, Kyoko stepped naturally back to her spot across from him, showing zero disappointment over her little trick failing to hit its mark.
Apart from adding extra points in her mind for Kihara's keen sense of avoidance, Momo officially classified Kyoko as the strongest thieving cat she had encountered so far.
'To be able to retreat without batting an eye... Kyoko Kirisaki is quite something!'
Realizing she was facing an unprecedented rival, a fire of competitive spirit ignited inside Momo. She decided to launch a proactive attack before her opponent could make another move.
Sourcing two chairs from the staff, she brought them over to the pair, placing them down with a sweet smile. "Reading the script while standing must be tiring. Why don't you two take a seat and talk?"
"Thank you, but..." Kyoko looked at her awkwardly. "There are only two chairs. Wouldn't it be bad if only the two of us sat?"
"You two have to prepare for shooting this afternoon, whereas I'll have plenty of time to rest then. You two should really sit."
"Since Miss Momo puts it that way, I won't stand on ceremony!"
"Kihara-kun, sit down as well!"
"Alright."
Once she pushed the two down onto the chairs, a flash of smugness glinted in Momo's purple eyes. By restricting Kyoko's range of motion, the girl wouldn't be able to pull off any subtle moves to get close to Kihara.
This was a classic move she had learned from manga. If she could, she would love to loudly shout that iconic line: "Reiner, sit down!"
Her tail wagging a happy arc in the air, Momo stepped behind Kihara, resting her delicate hands on his shoulders to massage them with just the right amount of pressure. If she were wearing a black-and-white maid outfit, she might easily be mistaken for a professional maid.
Kyoko was drawn by her actions. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the two before asking with a hint of hesitation, "Um... what is the relationship between Miss Momo and Kihara-kun?"
Before either could respond, she quickly waved her hands. "I'm sorry, if it's inconvenient to say, please pretend I didn't ask."
'What a brilliant move—advancing by retreating! If we truly stay silent, it'll confirm that our relationship is far from simple, making it easy for anyone to deduce that we're a couple.'
Realizing this, Momo made a split-second decision to respond. "Miss Kirisaki, please don't joke around. Kihara-kun has always treated me like a younger sister, and I respect him immensely. It's nothing that can't be shared."
"Brother and sister?" Kyoko looked thoroughly surprised.
"Not quite. Strictly speaking... he's more like a senior to me," Kihara clarified.
"But... what kind of Earthling could possibly be a senior to the Third Princess of Planet Deviluke?"
"Eh!?"
Now it was Kihara and Momo's turn to be shocked. Neither had expected Kyoko Kirisaki to actually know her true identity.
"Miss Kirisaki, could it be that you are..."
"That's right..." She lowered her voice to admit it first. After glancing around to confirm no one was paying attention, she snapped the fingers of her right hand. A small flame flickered out of thin air atop her smooth, pale index finger. "In truth, I am a hybrid with Firese-ian blood, capable of freely controlling fire."
"No wonder the fire special effects in Baking Hot Magical Girl Kyoko looked so realistic... so it was the real deal all along," Kihara marveled, before asking curiously, "Why are you working as an actor on Earth?"
"Because I love it, of course! Isn't Kihara-kun the same?"
"Uh... if I had to be honest, I mostly do it to make a living."
'If I didn't need to cover up the money converted by the system in front of Old Eight, I probably wouldn't even bother looking for a job.'
Kyoko blinked in confusion at first. Remembering the background detail that Kihara had lost both his parents, her eyes filled with sympathy and heartbreak. Setting her script down, she gently took his hand, her blue eyes brimming with care. "If you ever face any financial difficulties in life, feel free to reach out to me anytime. I will definitely do my absolute best to help you!"
"Thank you for showing such concern for my brother-in-law, Miss Kirisaki." Momo kept her smile intact as she pried their hands apart, explaining the situation under Kyoko's bewildered gaze. "Kihara-kun is already engaged to my big sister. He won't have to worry about food or clothes for the rest of his life."
"Big sister... could it be Princess Nana?"
"No, no, no. How could it possibly be her?
"
"Apologies... seeing Princess Nana arrive alongside Princess Momo, when you mentioned your big sister, I subconsciously assumed..."
Momo couldn't help but offer a deadpan retort, "Don't you think engaging my brother-in-law to Nana would be like sticking a fresh flower into cow dung? With him as the flower and her as the cow dung, I mean."
"Ahahaha..." Kyoko offered a strained chuckle, wisely choosing not to answer.
She couldn't afford to offend either the Second or Third Princess of Deviluke, so it was best not to get involved in this kind of sisterly banter.
Now that she knew Kyoko was an alien aware of their identities, Momo actually relaxed. Ordinary aliens wouldn't dare set their sights on a man belonging to the Deviluke royal family.
Besides, Kyoko appeared to be quite an airhead. Momo concluded that her previous tactical maneuvers were merely her outsmarting the air. She let out a soft, aggrieved murmur: "Phew~ If you knew who we were, you should have just said so earlier. That was a total waste of energy..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Please continue running through the script. I'll go find..."
Before Momo could finish her sentence, a frantic cry for help suddenly echoed from the distance.
"Someone help! A pink-haired girl fell into the lake!"
"Nana!?"
Dropping his script in an instant, Kihara turned into a gust of wind, dashing straight toward the lakeside.
....
Thank you for reading.