Chapter 69: Ellen's Little Schemes, and Astra Yao's Discovery of Something Fishy (Patreon)

"I'm back."

Ellen yawned as she walked in and hung her coat on the rack.

"Welcome back, Ellen. Why so late today?"

Rina glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten.

Normally Ellen was home a little after nine.

So Rina (Alexandrina Sebastiane) was a bit concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing. I ran into a few muggers on the way."

Ellen said it casually.

"Muggers? Are you all right?"

Rina tensed up the moment she heard it.

"I'm fine. They couldn't hurt me."

"I wasn't asking about you. I meant, are the muggers all right?"

Rina rolled her eyes, prettily. She knew exactly how strong Ellen was. What kind of mugger could possibly beat her?

If anything, Ellen sometimes didn't know her own strength. The ones who should be worried when they met her were the muggers.

"Them? They should be fine, I think..."

Ellen glanced away, a little guiltily.

As she spoke, Ellen replayed the scene in her head. Yeah, she definitely hadn't gone for the kill.

Three broken arms, two broken legs, and one guy who'd run his mouth and also planned to rob her of more than her money. She'd snapped his spine, so he'd spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

That was totally not going for the kill, okay?!

And honestly, they should thank her. Now they could play wheelchair characters for real...

"Forget it. As long as you're fine. As for them, they got what they deserved."

One look at Ellen's behavior told Rina she'd definitely hit hard. Still, Rina only sighed. She'd contact someone tomorrow and have the whole lot cleaned up.

A few small-time thieves. Nothing serious.

"By the way, did you talk to the Boss today? About your contract expiring, I mean."

Rina looked at her with some curiosity.

"Yeah, I did."

"And what did the Boss say? Was he reluctant to let you go?"

Rina looked at her with some curiosity.

"Reluctant? N-not really, I think. Anyway, afterward the Boss and I talked it over, and we decided to keep me on long-term. I'm pretty comfortable at the shop anyway, so I said yes."

Ellen said, a little guiltily.

"It's because the Boss has free lollipops, isn't it?"

Rina said with a smile.

"Am I the kind of person who can be bought with a lollipop?"

Ellen shot back.

"Aren't you?"

"Of course not."

Ellen snorted, then suddenly thought of something.

Deoxyribose is a sugar too, isn't it? She'd learned that in biology class once...

Never mind...

Ellen shook her head to fling those scattered thoughts away.

Ellen ran on low power at all times, and she'd never been as eager about romance as other girls. But Musachi really was the only man so far who'd made her feel something. If that was the case, following him didn't seem like a problem...

Then Ellen looked over at Rina.

Rina was sitting on the sofa, typing something on her phone with a look of utter exasperation.

A moment later she tossed the phone onto the table like she'd given up, as if out of sight meant out of mind.

"What's wrong?"

Ellen asked, curious.

"Nothing..."

Rina answered flatly.

"Let me guess. Rina's being pushed to get married, right?"

Ellen said suddenly.

"Hm?"

Rina looked at Ellen in surprise, wondering why she'd care about this.

Normally Ellen seemed unable to muster any interest in anything.

Why had she changed so much lately?

Was it because of spending time with the Boss?

"If you don't deny it, I'll take that as a yes."

Ellen said with a grin.

Rina just sighed.

She really was being pushed to marry. She wasn't young anymore, and with her stunning looks she'd always had plenty of suitors, even a good number of nobles and high officials.

But none of them interested her. After dealing with these people day in and day out, Rina knew exactly what kind of personalities they had.

And once you know, the interest is gone.

So at her age, she still had no spouse.

Her family nagged her every now and then, or schemed to send her off on blind dates.

They wanted to marry her off to some so-called good man by their standards...

Rina had fought with them over it more times than she could count.

Just now, in fact, her family had sent another message wanting her to go on a blind date.

This time the match was the son of a corporation's chairman, someone young and accomplished.

Rina had turned him down anyway.

"Speaking of which, Rina, what do you think of the Boss?"

Ellen suddenly thought of something and looked over at her.

"The Boss? You mean Musachi?"

Rina blinked, then answered.

"Yep. Musachi, obviously."

"As for the Boss... he's certainly an excellent man. Handsome, reliable, knows so many important people, and there's an air of mystery about him... It makes you want to find out more."

Rina propped her chin on her hand and smiled.

"Then... have you ever considered..."

Ellen trailed off there.

Mostly because she'd just thought of something very interesting.

That jerk Musachi was a playboy. Judging by how he'd always treated Rina, and all the little looks he gave her, there was no way he wasn't interested, whatever he claimed. Men's eyes can say a lot, after all.

The glances Musachi thought were so discreet were plain as day to everyone else, and Rina had naturally noticed them too.

"As for the Boss... he really is an excellent man, but is that appropriate? I'm only a maid, after all... and there's nothing else between us."

Rina suddenly hesitated.

"Of course it's appropriate. As long as you like him, that's all that matters. Compared to other guys, I think the Boss is a great person, don't you?"

Ellen said, suddenly interested.

It was really just a whim. Ellen had practically been raised by Rina, and Rina wasn't young anymore. It was about time she found a man.

And why Musachi in particular? Obviously, because good water shouldn't flow into outsiders' fields!

That was Ellen's filial devotion!

"Let's talk about it later."

Rina shook her head gently and said nothing more, though there was a flicker of temptation in her eyes.

Compared to everyone else, Rina really did think highly of Musachi. Of all her partners, he was one of the few whose background she couldn't read. Both Rina and her family wielded great influence in New Eridu, yet she hadn't managed to dig up anything on this mysterious man...

That undoubtedly piqued her curiosity.

…

"You little rascal, are you trying to wear your big sis to death?"

Early the next morning, the sound of Musachi getting up woke Cecilia beside him. She propped herself up lazily, the thin blanket sliding off her fragrant shoulder and revealing a glimpse of spring. Two nights of relentless assault had worn her out badly, and today was the little angels' performance, no less...

"Can't be helped. Who told you to be so enchanting, Cecilia?"

Musachi chuckled apologetically.

He had gone a bit overboard these two days...

"The little angels perform this afternoon, you know. Would it kill you to hold back? I still don't have any strength."

Cecilia glared at Musachi, full of reproach.

"Easy fix."

As he spoke, something occurred to him, and he sauntered over to her with a grin.

Cecilia grew flustered.

"What are you going to do?"

she asked in alarm.

"Help you recover your strength, of course."

As he said it, Ether flowed through his body. When Musachi touched Cecilia's cheek, it slowly passed into hers.

"Just think of it as a cultivation technique I picked up recently. It should work, right?"

Musachi said with a smile.

And it did. Cecilia felt a warm current inside her, and wherever it passed, her exhaustion was swept away.

Cecilia was astonished.

She'd never imagined Musachi had this kind of miraculous power.

In truth, this ability was an advanced form of his Ether manipulation. Whenever he had spare time these days, he'd been studying how to control Ether. Just as Remielle could stop the Ether inside a person's body and create an effect like frozen time, what Musachi did also manipulated the Ether inside a body, except his version restored the target's injuries.

Beyond injuries, it could also replenish strength and relieve fatigue.

Of course, since he hadn't fully mastered it, he couldn't use it on anything too severe or complicated, but for now it was good enough.

His next step was to reverse the Corruption symptoms in the human body.

The deeper his control over Ether grew, the sooner he'd manage that.

Maybe he could even control other Ethereals and put them to his own use.

"Wow, it really works. I feel so much better."

Cecilia said, amazed.

Her condition was clearly miles better than before.

But then she watched Musachi slowly closing in, and panic flashed in her eyes again.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Yep."

Cecilia: ?

Musachi said shamelessly.

She finally got it. Musachi was up to no good!

…

By the time Musachi got home, it was already broad daylight, and he wasn't sleepy at all. He opened the door.

And promptly bumped into Remielle, who was coming out of another room.

Remielle only gave Musachi a cool glance, didn't even say hello, and walked out of the room.

Clearly, she was still sulking.

That Musachi was just too wicked.

Musachi said nothing about it, though. He only flashed her a cheeky grin.

Then he sat down in the living room to wait for her to finish washing up so they could have breakfast together.

But as soon as he heard the door behind him open, he felt a feather drift lightly onto the top of his head. Without a second thought, Musachi leaned back on the sofa and held perfectly still.

Then he saw Remielle come over with her cheeks puffed out, hands on her hips, looking down at him.

As if she were pondering how to punish him.

From this angle, Musachi had a clear view of Remielle's ample curves, and of the cotton panties under her skirt.

Mm. White, with lace trim.

Very nice...

Then he saw Remielle lean down and pinch his cheek with her little hand. Musachi badly wanted to fight back, but he gave away nothing.

He wanted to see just what this girl was planning to do.

But then Musachi realized he'd gotten it wrong. Once she'd confirmed he wasn't moving, she straddled him outright.

Then she sighed softly.

"You rotten thing, how am I supposed to face you..."

She gently rested her chin on Musachi's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist, sitting there in his embrace.

"If I'd known I'd fall deeper and deeper, I never should have come here in the first place. Why did I have to meet you? Now I don't even know what to do..."

As she spoke, there was a trace of melancholy in Remielle's eyes, a far cry from her usual liveliness.

What did that mean?

Musachi wondered, puzzled.

He held his ground, planning to hear what Remielle would say next.

But Remielle didn't go on. She simply curled up in his arms, quietly soaking in his presence.

Seeing that, Musachi had no choice but to push down his confusion.

He'd always sensed some barrier in Remielle's heart, or rather something she had to do. That was why, however close she and Musachi had grown, she'd never crossed that one line.

Musachi wasn't in a hurry about it. She was keeping secrets, but weren't he and she the same?

He was waiting for the day she'd come clean to him.

And he had a hunch that day wasn't far off...

After a while, Remielle left his arms and walked around behind him, plucking the feather off his head.

"Come on, let's go eat."

Remielle patted his head from behind as if nothing had happened.

"Mm."

Musachi nodded and said nothing. After she'd changed clothes, he followed her downstairs.

The bookstore didn't see many customers that morning, but Musachi's new shipment had arrived.

So he stocked the shelves with the new goods.

As time went on, his store's business was slowly picking up.

From running at a loss before, he'd now done the math: after paying Ellen and the others their wages at the end of the month, he'd still have quite a bit left over.

That moved him a little.

Who said I can't run a business?!

I'm turning a profit, damn it!

He'd even started an online business, so if a customer lived too far to come in, Musachi could mail the book to them.

[Boss, boss, are you there?]

Just then, someone sent a friend request on Musachi's Knock Knock, followed by a message. It looked like a book buyer.

[Here, here! What do you need?]

Musachi hurriedly replied.

[Mm, I want to buy some books. I saw in your online ad that you carry every kind of book. If so, do you have any really, uh, stimulating study materials? The kind that are hard to buy normally. You know what I mean.]

the other party wrote.

Study materials?

Musachi blinked. Honestly, he had none of those. Sure, he was quite interested in that sort of stuff, things like Mrs. Snow Woman or Boys 48, but he'd never actually stocked any.

[Yes, yes! If you can imagine it, I've got it!]

Musachi replied without a second thought, absolutely certain.

[Haha, great. I've been bored lately. Send me two sets of study materials. I want the newest ones, the old ones are outdated. You get what I mean?]

[Got it, got it! Don't worry, customer, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!]

Musachi typed with a grin. Looking at the address the customer sent, he took a set of Three Years of Mock Exams straight off the shelf, packed it up, and called the courier to deliver it.

Heh, another sale! Awesome!

Tell me that's not study material!

Guaranteed the latest edition!

You're welcome.

After shipping it without a shred of guilt, Musachi chuckled quietly to himself.

"What's got you so happy? Find some money on the street?"

Belle walked up to Musachi with Eous in tow, curious.

Then she pointed at Eous.

"I brought Eous over to play."

"I just sold a book, of course. This guy was paying top dollar for study materials, and I happened to have some, so I sent them over."

Musachi said with a grin.

"S-study materials? The kind I'm imagining?"

Belle stared at Musachi, flustered.

"Of course."

"Selling that stuff is illegal!"

Belle lowered her voice quickly, her face flushing red.

"Like being Proxies isn't illegal either. Besides, what I sold is the genuine, latest edition of Three Years of Mock Exams. How is that illegal?"

"Huh?"

Belle froze at his words. Then she saw the smile in his eyes and it suddenly clicked.

"Wait, isn't that just scamming him?"

"How is it scamming?"

Musachi spread his hands.

"He asked me for study materials, and I gave him study materials. He was in a hurry and wanted the newest version, so he paid extra, and I sent him the newest version too. No problem at all, okay?!"

"Respect."

Belle fell silent for a moment, then gave him a thumbs-up.

With Musachi's explanation, Belle caught on. He really had a point. Even if Public Security officers showed up, Musachi would have no problem...

And besides... someone buying that kind of stuff wouldn't dare call Public Security, would he?

That would be walking right into a trap! He'd just have to swallow the loss in silence.

Soon, afternoon rolled around.

The Angels of Delusion's concert was set to start at four.

So Musachi wasn't in a rush.

Remielle had left early, at three, while Musachi waited until a bit after three, when the show was about to begin, before heading over.

"You finally made it. I thought you weren't coming."

In 404's backstage, Remielle looked at Musachi and rolled her eyes.

"How could I not come? I put in no small effort for the trio's first show, okay?!"

Musachi said, looking at the three little ones all dolled up and adorable.

"Not bad, not bad. You three are even cuter than your teacher Cecilia was when she was young."

Musachi gave a thumbs-up and praised them.

The three little ones looked embarrassed.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Cecilia beside him glared at Musachi.

"What?! Cecilia, you showed Musachi your old photos but never showed me? You pick lovers over friends! How awful!"

Hearing Musachi's words, Remielle exclaimed in shock.

She looked at the two of them, her eyes brimming with jealousy.

As for who she was jealous of... maybe both?

"All right, all right. I'll show you someday when there's a chance. It's not like they're anything special."

Cecilia, being shaken back and forth by Remielle, resignedly agreed.

"Speaking of which, do you still have your old stage outfit? I want to see you wearing it now."

Remielle wouldn't let it go. She looked at Cecilia as she is now and suddenly said it.

"Uh..."

Cecilia stared at Remielle in dismay, then hurriedly shook her head.

"No, no. My old stage outfit is too small now. I can't fit into it anymore..."

As she said this, Cecilia stole a glance at Musachi, her face flushed.

An embarrassing outfit like that was enough to wear once...

No way she'd put it on again now.

Sometimes wearing clothes is more embarrassing than wearing none. Ask Cecilia to stand before Musachi with nothing on and she could do it without shame.

But ask her to wear a stage outfit? Forget it. Too hard.

"We... we're about to start!"

The three little ones looked toward the stage and said to Teacher Cecilia beside them.

By now, 404 was packed with people, all the ones who'd signed up for memberships at Musachi's bookstore.

Even just through the crack in the backstage door, Sunna and the others could see the dense crowd below the stage.

There were several dozen people!

Even the three little ones themselves hadn't expected so many to come to their first performance...

"Relax, little angels. You'll be fine."

Cecilia bent down and cheered the three of them on.

"Mm-hm, we can do it!"

The three took a deep breath, then walked to the front of the stage hand in hand.

The moment the spotlight hit them, they said in unison: "Hello, everyone, we are... the Angels of Delusion!~"

"I-I'm the leader, Nangong~"

"I'm Aria!"

"I-I'm Qianxia... no, I'm Sunna!"

Maybe from nerves, Sunna wasn't doing well. She'd even gotten her own introduction wrong.

But that little slip actually warmed up the quiet crowd.

Seeing Sunna's embarrassed face, the audience let out kind-hearted laughter.

Quite a few even whistled to egg her on.

At the very front of the standing area, a Bangboo waved a glow stick in one hand, flailing its stubby little arm like mad.

It was even wearing an Angels of Delusion support outfit.

Facing a crowd of several dozen, Sunna was nervous, and even her singing was off at first. But that only lasted a while. Once she realized she had to push through to the end of the show no matter what, Sunna decided she had nothing to lose.

And funnily enough, once she'd thrown caution to the wind, Sunna's performance actually got a lot better.

A pretty miraculous sight, really.

"Looks like there's nothing to worry about."

Watching the three slowly shake off their early nerves and settle into the groove, Cecilia smiled backstage.

"Not bad. I thought Sunna would need more time to adjust, but after being nervous for a bit, she actually got better."

Musachi raised an eyebrow, watching Sunna's performance.

If anything, the show had exceeded the audience's expectations.

They'd come mainly to join in the fun. An idol group nobody had ever heard of couldn't be that good, they figured.

But once they actually watched, they found it was nothing like that.

After the initial nerves, the three got into the zone quickly by the second song.

On top of that, there were interaction segments between songs, and the three's banter, or rather Aria and Nangong teaming up to bully Sunna, supplied plenty of comedy and kept the stage from ever going cold.

A lot of it was improvised. They'd only rehearsed the interaction segments briefly, and who would have guessed the three little ones squabbling would be such a hit?

Sunna's reactions in particular added a lot of laughs.

Sometimes a prepared routine doesn't land, but the most genuine self, shown without meaning to, wins the audience over more easily.

"Sorry I'm late! Xixi, is the show over?"

While Musachi and Cecilia were chatting backstage, two figures hurried in.

One had long black hair like a waterfall, a tall figure, and wore sunglasses and a mask.

The other wore a women's suit and tie, her blonde hair pinned up high, her face cold and expressionless.

As she spoke, the black-haired girl pulled off her glasses and mask.

Only then did Musachi recognize her face.

Wasn't that Astra Yao, the hottest star right now? He hadn't expected her to turn up here, and she seemed pretty close with Cecilia.

"If you'd come any later, the trio's show would've been over."

Cecilia said helplessly.

"Hee hee, sorry, sorry! I couldn't help it! I canceled a press conference to get here!"

"Miss, please stop being so willful."

Evelyn beside her reminded her with a look of resignation.

"Aw, I know, Eve~ But I've been so busy lately! I need to find time to slack off and relax in secret!"

Astra Yao said earnestly, then glanced over at Musachi.

"Hm? And this gentleman is..."

Curiosity lit her eyes.

In all the time she'd known Cecilia, this was the first time she'd seen a man at her side.

And... maybe she was imagining it, but when she saw Cecilia this time, something about her seemed different. Some indefinable change, subtle yet unmistakable.

As if... there were a hint of allure in her every smile and glance.

Wait, something's fishy here!

Astra Yao looked at Musachi beside her, the flames of gossip blazing in her eyes!