Just as Tamamo Hotaru was leaving, Shinji emerged from a nearby spot, with a beautiful white fox crouching right beside his feet.
He had felt there was something suspicious about this dinner invitation from the start, so he had come along to observe.
He never expected that Moxi would actually dare to show herself again.
He was fully prepared to step in and rescue Tamamo at any moment. With the swapping ability of Unjust Game, he could pull her out of danger effortlessly.
But he had wanted to see exactly what Moxi was planning.
Yet, even after Tamamo Hotaru walked away safely, he still couldn't figure it out.
What confused him even more was why she had simply let her go.
Was it all just to scare her a little?
But what was the point of that?
Shinji was starting to think that Moxi might be the most bizarre and unusual Cursed Spirit he had ever encountered.
After a moment of hesitation, he deliberately released a faint trace of hostility toward her.
Highly sensitive, Moxi immediately picked up on that killing intent. In the blink of an eye, she appeared right in front of Shinji.
"You again?! Oh, this is perfect! You really think I'm scared of you, don't you?! Today we'll see exactly who ends up dead first!"
Moxi's eyes turned bright red. Behind her, all nine tails stood upright and swayed aggressively, while terrifying Cursed Energy began surging outward, sweeping across the surroundings.
Shinji frowned. He lowered his hand that had been reaching for his weapon and spoke calmly.
"I didn't come here to fight you today. I just have a few questions to ask."
"You really think I'm stupid enough to believe anything you say?"
Moxi sneered. Around her body, shadowy beast‑like forms seemed to appear, roaring silently in the air.
Shinji sighed.
"Fair point. How could a mere Cursed Spirit possibly care about the lives or deaths of the humans around them? If you insist on fighting, I'll be happy to oblige. But tell me something — why haven't you made your move yet? That Nine‑Tailed Jade Curse technique you used last time was quite impressive. It was powerful enough to wipe this entire nation off the map with ease. I suppose that would make you happy, wouldn't it?"
"Shut up! Don't go dumping all your garbage accusations on my head! If you hadn't kept hounding me everywhere, none of this would have happened! It was the same back at the Red Chamber, and the same again yesterday! I ran all the way here to hide, and you still managed to track me down! Tell me — who exactly is the one chasing who here?!"
Moxi was furious. She had already shifted into an offensive stance.
"About the Red Chamber… we accepted a mission. Reports said a Cursed Spirit had appeared there and was harming people. You were the only Cursed Spirit in the entire building at that time. Was I just supposed to ignore it and pretend I saw nothing?"
"You don't know anything! I was set up and tricked by that bastard! To force me to join his side, he deliberately turned all my subordinates into monsters! He did it specifically to lure you wretched lot over, to provoke me into fighting, and to make sure I couldn't stay in the Red Chamber any longer!"
Shinji paused for a moment, thinking it through.
"The man you're talking about… was he the one who ended up 'saving' you?"
"'Saved' me?! That bastard only wanted to use me! When I refused to cooperate, he sealed me inside his own body! I almost lost my life completely! And I have you idiots to thank for every bit of it!"
It seemed she had been holding these words inside for a long time. Now Moxi unleashed all her rage, firing insults and complaints at Shinji without pause.
So she really had been used…
Shinji finally understood the whole sequence of events.
"If you knew all this was happening… why didn't you just leave the Red Chamber before things got out of hand?"
"Why the hell should I?! I hadn't done a single wrong thing! Why should I have to run away — just because you brainless idiots always rush in making trouble without caring about the truth or facts?! I am not afraid of any of you!"
Shinji was left speechless.
Because in this, Moxi was absolutely right. She was a victim too. Claiming that victims are always somehow "guilty" was nothing but nonsense and bullying.
And he himself had made the mistake of rigid thinking. When he found a Cursed Spirit, his first instinct was always to exorcise it.
After all, out of a hundred Cursed Spirits, ninety‑nine of them were guilty of terrible crimes.
But Moxi was the rare exception among them. She held a simple philosophy: Don't provoke me, and I won't provoke you.
She was lazy and easy‑going by nature, preferring to live quietly and keep out of trouble. She never wanted to get involved in the war between humans and Cursed Spirits at all.
Looking at it this way… Shinji's actions had nearly pushed her straight into the camp of his enemy — the Gentleman.
Shinji thought for a moment, then said:
"So you aren't allied with them. Then how exactly did you manage to escape in the end?"
"That's none of your business! The point is, I did escape! But who would've guessed I'd run all the way here just to run into you again — my own personal bad luck charm!"
"…Alright, that's enough. You've been yelling insults at me for ages now."
"So what?! Did I say anything wrong? Tell me — what crime have I ever committed that was so terrible it deserves you stalking me non‑stop?! Huh?! Is it really such a problem that I decided to become a simple extra actor and earn an honest living?! Dammit! Today, one of us absolutely has to die! Damn it all!"
Moxi was completely hysterical. She seemed ready to smash everything apart, consequences be damned.
She just felt so wronged and miserable. She had never done anything to anyone, yet people — and Cursed Spirits alike — were constantly bringing trouble to her door.
All she wanted was to earn enough money and live a comfortable life with a beautiful woman by her side. Was that really so much to ask? Was that actually wrong?!
Shinji felt utterly defeated. He realized now that he really might have wronged her from the very start.
From everything he had witnessed himself… even that director who tried to take advantage of her — the worst thing she did was scare him half to death. She never hurt or harmed him in the slightest.
And earlier that night, she had let Tamamo Hotaru leave completely unharmed…
Thinking back to the Red Chamber incident — nothing bad had ever happened there either.
This proved at least one thing: she was not the kind of Cursed Spirit who killed humans indiscriminately. And that was a very important point.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?! Get back here! I said I was going to kill you, and tonight I will kill you!"
Seeing him suddenly turn around to leave, Moxi shouted loudly.
Shinji walked away without even looking back.
"If I ever find out you are hurting humans, or that you have joined that organization you mentioned… the next time we meet, I will take your life without hesitation."
"Dammit! Don't you dare try to scare me! If you're so tough and fearless, then don't run away! I'm standing right here — go ahead and kill me if you can! You're getting way too cocky for your own good!"
Moxi spoke big and tough, but she made no move to chase after him or attack.
She wasn't stupid.
If she had the confidence and strength to beat him, she would have rushed him already!
Watching him actually leave without looking back, she pouted disdainfully and turned back inside.
"Is… is everything alright now?" Kazahana Yukihime asked worriedly.
"Everything's fine. That guy was terrified the moment he saw me! I yelled at him and he didn't even dare answer back. In the end, he turned tail and ran away like a coward. If he hadn't run so fast, he'd be dead by now and grass would already be growing on his grave!"
"…"
Kazahana Yukihime had no real combat ability herself, but she could easily tell when someone was just bragging.
Especially since she clearly remembered that when she first found Moxi… she had been nothing more than an egg!
The fact that she had been beaten so badly she turned into an egg spoke volumes about how strong she actually was.
Kazahana Yukihime suddenly began to wonder: Can I really trust her? Did I make a mistake making this deal?
---
Meanwhile, Tamamo Hotaru had gone back to her place and locked herself alone in her room.
She didn't tell Shinji anything about what had happened that evening.
After all, Moxi had spared her life. She couldn't bring herself to betray that kindness and bite the hand that fed her.
And besides… she still felt a deep sense of guilt toward Moxi.
Even if they couldn't be friends anymore… at the very least, she didn't want to become enemies.
From deep inside the room, a long, soft sigh echoed sadly.
____________________
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