Night had deepened. Silver moonlight washed everything bright; even without lamps they could clearly see a bird perched on a distant rooftop.
A cluster of boys and girls chatted beneath the eaves. Suddenly, a pen wrapped in wind-nature chakra flicked from Kaede's fingers toward the bird. The bird toppled, lifeless.
The Third Princess, who'd been watching Kaede, blurted out, equal parts shock and reproach, "Why so cruel to a bird? Why shoot it?"
Kaede had acted almost on reflex. It felt like some curse left by that Bear brat's "god" had twitched through him. "That wasn't just a bird—it was a summoned scout sent to watch me," he said. Even he felt a little baffled by how easily the words came.
The princess arched a brow. "Sharp eyes, clever trick… I should take you to a casino." Yet her sixth sense whispered the kid was lying because he was broke. And hadn't he claimed at noon he wasn't good at body techniques—then turned around and kicked apart a barrier?
The Fourth Princess, disappointed and restless, glanced toward the gate. "Tch. Why isn't Pipa back yet? All the hotpot ingredients are ready. I wanted to wait and eat with her."
"Pipa had family business at the Sun household—she'll be late," Ennosuke said. "Should we eat first and save her a share?"
The Third Princess refused, and the Second Princess chimed in, "We'll wait! Let's have sugar hawthorns first."
Kaede had spent the afternoon copying materials in Chinese, and in a burst of excitement had tossed aside his pen; now he gnawed a skewer and muttered as he sharpened his blade, "So sour—makes you hungrier as you eat."
"You look miserable chewing that," the Third Princess teased.
It was Kaede's first time truly taking in the trio. The eldest princess stood strong, eyes steady, with a dragon-tiger bearing. The Fourth Princess was almost as cute as Aoi, a demure little beauty. The Third Princess felt livelier by nature; today she'd already figured him out and joked with the group freely—someone who could nurture a thousand faces.
The Third Princess found it awkward to be stared at by a five- or six-year-old with that frank, admiring gaze. On Kaede's stare, Aoi felt a flash of disbelief; she wanted to scold him, yet her timid nature strangled the words. She just fretted—and then blurted the first escape she found: "Shishō, tell us two stories! The white-snake one from last time was great! And those urban legends!"
At the word "stories," everyone clustered around Kaede, but he felt lazy about talking more.
The Second Princess's eyes lit with an idea. "The day after tomorrow, mega-star Gianna is holding a concert in the capital. Two tickets per story—interested?" Even with money, Gianna tickets were nearly impossible. Wouldn't that tempt him?
Ennosuke had never been to a "concert" and nearly blurted as much. Was this Gianna like one of the four heavenly kings in his old world? Admitting he hadn't heard of her might raise questions about identity. Catching his brother's envious glance, Kaede grinned and agreed at once.
The Third Princess played along. "Oi, onee-sama, you didn't tell me you had Gianna tickets!" She thought: if Kaede figured out there was no public concert the day after tomorrow, he'd realize the Heavenly Monarch had invited Gianna privately for a performance. To repay the favor, she egged him on.
So Kaede answered with performance instead of payment—splitting and transforming on the spot to stage a jittery, stuttering little play, "Grave of the Cockroaches" (which was very much not about mulberries).
He transformed into the "star's" persona, donned brocade and a flowered cap, and began: "This little brother is Tang Bohu, a prodigy of Jiangnan—gifted since childhood, master of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, head of the Four Talents."
Borrowing from a certain blond knucklehead's "seduction" gag, Kaede split into beauties and pointed at one. "From childhood I was married—eight beautiful cousins under one roof, but oh how pure and proper we were, never a whisper between us."
He sketched the tale of Tang Bohu swearing not to expose his chakra—er, his "talent"—pulled out his Overlord Spear as a prop, and wove a father-and-heir vendetta between scholar and killer.
Then came the classic: the Four Talents teasing beauties; on the way home they met Lady Hua and her maids—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter—and went to burn incense. Tang fell in love with Autumn Fragrance at first sight.
Watching Kaede clown his way through, the girls could barely keep straight faces. From his first appearance in gaudy costume, the Fourth Princess laughed so hard she couldn't close her mouth.
Truth was, the original "Star Master" only had to stick out his tongue and pull a face; Kaede's own acting chops were thin. But from here on, his "public image" was doomed to be a certain kind of ridiculous.
At that moment, Pipa finally came back. No one touched dinner; they all watched Kaede's over-the-top performance.
He pushed on into the all-time classics: with a boatman's help, Tang schemed his way into the Hua estate to get close to Autumn Fragrance. Later, Lady Hua unleashed the Four Great Thieves; the scholar-killer fell; there were acupuncture points, twists and turns, and at last Tang married his beloved.
He tried to rent a boat to sell tragedy before the Hua estate, king for king, plot for plot. But without sets and props, even Kaede knew he wasn't hitting fifty percent of the original's charm.
(End of Chapter)
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