Kiryuu Kirara had grown into quite a formidable yokai by now, but one thing still hadn't changed—she couldn't fly.
Sitting in a helicopter and gazing down at the landscapes she had long grown used to would be a whole new experience for her, and the thought was unbearably tempting.
But when she peeked into her wallet, her excitement faded into gloom.
She simply couldn't afford it.
Then came Yae Miko's sly suggestion… and Kirara felt even more torn.
Maybe she could afford it—at a certain price.
Kirara turned her head to glance at her own tail.
It twitched shyly, almost as if it knew it was about to be bargained away.
She felt as if she were about to sell off her own tail.
The thought left her both embarrassed and conflicted.
But… that helicopter looked so good.
She wanted it so badly.
"It's a limited-time offer, you know~" Yae Miko said, her voice like that of a temptress luring someone into the abyss.
Kirara's heart tightened.
"Miss this chance and you won't find another~ You'd better think carefully~"
"M-meow…"
Kirara let out a pitiful little cry, almost like a kitten pleading for mercy.
She looked up with wide, watery eyes and whispered, "Can you… not make it too much?"
"Hehehe~"
Paimon grinned mischievously, raising her hands as if she were a villain about to pounce.
"This isn't really up to you anymore~"
"Are you two seriously not worried about making the poor kitty cry?" Hanachirusato asked, full of doubt.
But when she thought about it, hadn't she herself been coaxed and tricked by Yae Miko into becoming Lu Heng's maid?
"Don't worry, we're very civilized," Lumine said solemnly—though her gaze inevitably shifted to Kirara's tail.
That tail… that was a cat's tail!
Ordinary cats didn't really interest Lumine that much.
But a catgirl… that was a whole different story.
Who could possibly resist a catgirl?
Lumine certainly couldn't.
And neither could Lu Heng.
"Alright!"
Kirara clenched her fists, as if steeling herself for a great sacrifice.
Inwardly, she kept telling herself:
I'm just an innocent little kitty.
This is nothing more than a harmless hug like when Grandma used to hold me.
"Here we go~"
Yae Miko stretched out her elegant yet devilish hand.
Kirara bit her lip, her pretty face flushing crimson.
The moment Yae Miko's fingers brushed her tail, a shiver ran through her whole body—like an electric current had jolted her fur on end.
She kept reminding herself that every touch was worth ten thousand Mora.
That thought helped—at least enough to keep her from swiping at Yae Miko in embarrassment.
"How does it feel?" Paimon asked curiously.
"Just like a normal cat's tail," Yae Miko replied with a teasing smile. "Except… Kirara has two of them~"
"I wanna try too!" Paimon grinned wickedly.
Lu Heng looked at Kirara's tear-brimmed eyes and his own expression turned a bit strange.
How did they manage to turn something so innocent into something so… weird?
This feels like a scene straight out of some questionable local drama in Inazuma…
He sighed inwardly but still reached out.
To be honest, petting a catgirl's tail wasn't much different from petting a regular cat—except the catgirl's shy reactions made it far cuter.
"Fluffy! Nice!" Lumine was delighted. "Hanachirusato, you have to try too!"
Hanachirusato hadn't thought much of it at first, but the moment her hand touched the tail, she finally understood why they were so taken with it.
"So soft… so cute~"
Yae Miko chuckled and ruffled Kirara's hair.
"M-mew…"
Kirara's face burned even redder.
"So, what do you think, Lu?" Paimon asked.
Lu Heng grinned. "We'll take it!"
"Did you hear that, Kirara?" Paimon waved her hand in front of Kirara's dazed face. "A fifteen-ton transport helicopter—yours!"
"Eh…"
Kirara didn't look all that excited.
After all, she'd just bartered away her tail.
There was this lingering sense of being wronged—like she hadn't quite gotten a fair deal.
Lu Heng, however, smiled warmly.
"This makes things so much easier. Plan your routes right, and you can deliver hundreds, even thousands of packages in one trip. And since it's so fast, you can even stop to enjoy the scenery along the way without worrying about late deliveries."
Kirara blinked, then her eyes sparkled.
"That's… amazing!"
The picture Lu Heng painted felt almost dreamlike to her, and her heart filled with joy.
"Let me introduce you to another piece of equipment," Lu Heng said.
Kirara quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest in a big X.
"No more!"
"This one's serious," Lu Heng said with a small smile. "It can be a real pain not being able to store the helicopter away. But with this device, you'll have a decent-sized personal space to keep it in. You can summon it anytime, anywhere, and just hop in and fly off."
Kirara tilted her head.
"How much?"
"Cheap," Lu Heng said lightly. "Just ten thousand Mora."
Kirara drew a deep breath.
"So if letting you touch my tail saved me ten thousand… how about you touch it again?"
Yae Miko laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth.
"The tail's already been petted," Lu Heng said with a grin. "This time, let's go with the ears."
"That's fine!" Kirara agreed instantly.
Another round of savings—what a good deal!
Lumine gave Yae Miko a sidelong glance, her expression complicated.
You're too good at this… poor little kitty, completely at your mercy.
Yae Miko returned a sly smile.
As if I'd let just anyone get this close.
Once he'd patted Kirara's fluffy ears, Lu Heng said cheerfully, "Alright, let's head back to the shop."
Kirara's eyes widened as they entered the store.
"Wow, so many things!"
"You never came by before?" Paimon asked curiously.
Kirara shook her head.
"I knew there was a branch here, but… well, I've been swamped with deliveries lately. The boss told us to make more Mora first before coming to shop."
She sneaked a glance at Yae Miko but swallowed the words "Vision Hunt Decree" and "Sakoku Decree."
Yae Miko only smiled without comment.
"Perfect then. Hanachirusato, show her around," Lu Heng said.
"Of course!"
Hanachirusato eagerly took on the role of guide.
The more Kirara learned, the more amazed she became—especially when she saw someone draw a card and gain powerful abilities from it.
In the end, Lu Heng kept his word and handed her a storage device and a brand-new phone.
"Thank you, Mr. Lu!" Kirara's eyes shone with delight.
With these, her job would be so much easier.
The phone would let her capture beautiful sights and stay in touch with friends.
Clients could even place delivery orders directly through it.
"Wow… that's incredible!" she breathed as she explored the phone's features.
"There's also a built-in map with pinpoint accuracy," Lu Heng explained. "You can use it to navigate."
The map data came from Cyber Divination's systems and synced with the Civilization Core's cloud storage.
It was practically flawless.
"Technology really changes everything," Paimon said with a sigh.
Kirara's eyes sparkled like stars.
With this, she wouldn't have to ask strangers for directions ever again.
"Let's go see your new ride," the giant spider-shaped Civilization Core said as it stepped through a portal, still weaving fabric with its many legs.
They followed it into the spacious backyard of the Inazuma branch.
The spider stopped and began its work.
While still weaving, more and more slender limbs extended from its body, forming a 3D printer.
Within seconds, a brand-new transport helicopter emerged.
"I think we could upgrade to an anti-gravity flyer later," Lu Heng suggested.
Before he'd even finished, Kirara leapt back with her paws over her tail.
"The helicopter is already perfect!"
The others chuckled.
"Alright," Lu Heng said, amused. "Come back for an upgrade if you ever change your mind."
"Got it!" Kirara nodded eagerly. "Can I try it now?"
"Of course," Lu Heng said. "Just let the AI handle the controls. All you need to do is tell it the destination, altitude, and speed."
"Okay!"
Kirara darted into the cockpit, eyes shining with excitement.
Soon the rotor blades began to spin, faster and faster, until they tilted at just the right angle to lift the massive machine off the ground.
"Wow, it's flying!"
Kirara's face lit up with sheer joy.
With this, deliveries would be so much easier!
After a brief test flight, the helicopter landed smoothly.
Kirara jumped out, cheeks flushed with excitement.
"That was amazing!"
"Anti-gravity is even better," Paimon teased.
"Please don't tempt me anymore… maybe later!" Kirara said, waving her hands frantically.
"For now, let's focus on deliveries," Lu Heng said with a laugh. "If you need to deliver to another nation, just use the store's portal to take the helicopter over, then fly the rest of the way. No fees for the portal."
Kirara blushed slightly.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Lu!"
The others had to suppress their smiles.
If only the poor kitty knew the portal was always free…
"I'd better get to work!" Kirara said energetically.
Her enthusiasm was like that of a writer with a brand-new keyboard—ready to conquer the world.
"Come on then!" Paimon said, leading her toward the parcels.
Meanwhile, Lumine's gaze drifted to Yae Miko's ears.
Yae Miko's ears twitched. "Thinking of touching them?"
"Yes!" Lumine admitted honestly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
After all, it was Yae Miko.
Who wouldn't want to?
"In your dreams~" Yae Miko said with a teasing smirk.
Lumine pouted.
She'd expected as much.
"But if it were Lu Heng…" she said slyly.
"Smart girl~" Yae Miko replied with a playful nod.
Lumine glanced at Lu Heng, full of envy.
Lu Heng merely shrugged.
"Don't look at me. That's up to her. You'll have to convince her yourself."
"Fine, I'll wait," Lumine said with a determined smile.
One day, when we're all family… she won't be able to refuse me.
After checking the time on his phone, Lu Heng said, "I'm heading out. Going to see your sister at the Tenshukaku."
"Alright~" Yae Miko replied with a faintly wistful smile.
She then turned to Lumine.
"See that? He's already thinking of someone else. We've still got a long way to go."
Lumine grimaced.
"That just means he's a good man. We'll have to work harder."
Yae Miko rolled her eyes playfully, then looked over at the Civilization Core.
"Is that outfit done yet?"
The spider paused, its mechanical voice replying, "The master said this one must be crafted with utmost care. Every detail must be perfect since it's for you."
Yae Miko nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright, take your time."
"The slower the better," Lumine added seriously. "The more time it takes, the higher the quality."
"Oh?" Yae Miko arched an elegant brow. "You care that much? How long do you want it to take?"
"Ten days, maybe half a month," Lumine said with a sly smile.
Yae Miko flicked her forehead.
"You don't honestly think I'm going to wait until then to show it off, do you? Looks like I'll have to surprise you tonight."
"Wait! Don't misunderstand!" Lumine protested quickly. "I'm not in a hurry. Really. I just think you should be fully prepared first!"
"Mm~ we'll see," Yae Miko said with a mysterious smile.
Tenshukaku
For Lu Heng, walking into the shogun's office now felt almost like returning home.
Inside, Raiden Makoto was chatting warmly with Raiden Ei.
The moment she saw Lu Heng enter, Makoto's eyes lit up with joy.
"You're here!"
Ei's cheerful face instantly stiffened.
A moment ago, her sister had been smiling and chatting happily with her.
But the instant Lu Heng appeared, Makoto's eyes and heart belonged solely to him.
Ei's presence felt as if it had been sliced in half.
Even without saying a word, Lu Heng's mere appearance seemed to bring Makoto more joy than Ei ever could.
Ugh…
This is unbearable…
"This kind of reaction usually comes from jealousy," the puppet Shogun remarked dryly from the side.
Ei said nothing, her expression dark as a thundercloud.
If this were a chibi comedy skit, she'd be squatting in the corner, drawing circles on the floor while cursing Lu Heng.
"I brought you some sweets, Ei," Lu Heng said gently, placing a box in front of her. "See if you like them."
Ei blinked in surprise.
The gloomy raincloud on her face suddenly turned into a bright sunny day.
"Thank you!"
With sweets in front of her, she decided she could postpone her sulking for later.
"No need to thank me," Lu Heng said with a smile before turning to Makoto.
"Busy today?"
"Not at all," Makoto replied softly, her eyes warm with affection.
"Good," Lu Heng said. "Even if I were busy, I'd always make time to come see you."
Hearing that, Ei felt the sweetness of the dessert in her mouth turn sour.
I really shouldn't be here right now…
They probably don't even remember I exist…
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T/N:
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