"Tailless! Tailless!"
"Come out and let me see you."
Hoshimi Aya said, looking at the blade in her hand.
She could feel that this blade was the same as Hoshimi Miyabi's, so she must have a Floating Spirit as well.
However, the blade did not give Hoshimi Aya any response.
Seeing this, Hoshimi Aya curiously touched the ears on her head; fortunately, she didn't have a fox tail.
At the same time, Hoshimi Aya began to inspect various parts of her body. She hadn't had time to look before, so now that she did, she naturally wanted to see how a Fox-Haired Person differed from a normal human.
About half an hour later, Belle and Wise finally returned to the Video Store.
"Eh? Aren't you that Section Chief of H.S.O.S 6 from before, Hoshimi Miyabi?"
"Is there something else?"
Belle asked in confusion, looking at Hoshimi Aya sitting on the sofa next to the counter.
"I'm not the Hoshimi Miyabi you know; I'm another person named Hoshimi Aya."
Saying this, Hoshimi Aya took out her identification and showed it to the two of them.
"I've come this time hoping you can take me in."
"At the same time, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
Hoshimi Aya stated her purpose directly.
After all, she didn't like beating around the bush; mainly, she was afraid she might forget what she was saying, so it was better to be direct.
"Take you in?!"
Belle said, somewhat puzzled.
"You should state your question first!"
Wise asked, looking at Hoshimi Aya.
"I want to ask if you know someone named Carole Arna."
Hoshimi Aya asked, looking at the two.
Although this question was secondary to her, since they asked, knowing this first wasn't a problem.
Hearing this, both Belle and Wise showed shocked expressions, but then quickly feigned a calm appearance.
"Miss Hoshimi, why do you want to know about this person?"
Wise asked while pretending to be calm, while Belle nervously gripped Wise's arm, her expression also feigning composure.
However, both were very nervous internally, suspecting that Hoshimi Aya was trying to trick them into revealing their identities to arrest them.
After all, their teacher, Carole Arna, was one of the main culprits behind the fall of Old Eridu.
Although they knew their teacher was framed, others might not!
"My heart keeps reminding me of this name."
"I'm not sure of the specific reason either."
"Also, don't be so nervous."
"I mean you no harm."
Hoshimi Aya said, seeing them like this.
Both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but they remained wary of Hoshimi Aya.
"Sorry, we can't take you in!"
"As for the person you want to know about, we aren't familiar with them either."
Wise looked at Hoshimi Aya and refused.
Hoshimi Aya nodded upon hearing this; she had only come to see if they could take her in.
Now that she had the answer, she could only leave.
After all, no one would take in a stranger for no reason.
Now she still had to find a place to sleep tonight.
After saying goodbye to the two, Hoshimi Aya left the Video Store.
After seeing Hoshimi Aya leave, Belle and Wise went into the secret room to discuss her.
Outside the door, Hoshimi Aya looked up at the sky, momentarily lost in thought, not knowing what to do or where to go.
Only then did Hoshimi Aya realize that although she was somewhat familiar with this world, it was ultimately a foreign one.
Most importantly... in this world, she... had no home!
"Being alone... is truly lonely!"
"It feels like the world is distancing itself from me!"
Hoshimi Aya said, looking at the sky.
Just then, Hoshimi Aya suddenly felt something and looked at the blade in her hand.
She saw the blade glowing with red light as a large eyeball with two horns flew out, surrounded by a faint red mist.
"Tailless?"
"Why did you come out?!"
Hoshimi Aya said, looking at the large eyeball.
Fortunately, it was late, and there were few pedestrians on the street.
Tailless circled around Hoshimi Aya, observing her and the surroundings, appearing full of curiosity.
"Tailless, we're outside now, you can't just come out like this."
"Go back quickly!"
Hoshimi Aya said to Tailless. She remembered that Hoshimi Miyabi's Tailless usually only came out when entering The Hollow; it rarely appeared in other situations, seemingly to avoid scaring passersby.
So, she would follow suit; at least in public places like the street, it couldn't come out.
Hearing this, Tailless took a reluctant look at the outside world and returned to the scabbard.
Seeing this, Hoshimi Aya breathed a small sigh of relief. She was really afraid Tailless wouldn't listen and would go out of control.
If it really went out of control, it would be no joke. She wasn't the real Hoshimi Miyabi; she might not be able to control it.
When that time came, every single person in Sixth Street would die.
Fortunately, Tailless was quite obedient and went back as she said.
"Where should I go next?"
Hoshimi Aya said as she walked aimlessly down the street.
She really didn't know where to go now; she didn't even know where Belobog Heavy Industries was or how to get there.
She didn't know the location of Cunning Hares either.
All she knew was the location of Sixth Street.
Following the protagonists > Cunning Hares > Sons of Calydon > Belobog Heavy Industries.
Of course, Victoria Housekeeping would also be fine, even better than Cunning Hares.
But that was the hardest to find given her current situation; otherwise, she would have gone to Victoria Housekeeping.
She would first see if she could find a way herself; if not, she'd look for Cunning Hares. Even if they were poor, it was fine.
At least she'd have a place to stay. She could even try to help manage the money and see if she could stop them from being in the red every month.
Of course, if Nicole's side didn't take her in either... she would have to go to Belobog Heavy Industries to move bricks. The worst-case scenario would be going to the Outer Ring to be a bounty hunter.
But being in the Outer Ring was certainly not as good as the Inner Ring; moreover, news might be scarce, and without connections, she might not get any information at all.
...
Time gradually passed.
The sky gradually grew dark.
Hoshimi Aya returned to the vicinity of the Video Store's entrance.
After walking around the area, this place still felt the safest.
Thinking this, Hoshimi Aya climbed over the iron railing of the garage again and went inside.
"Where should I solve the problem of sleeping?"
Hoshimi Aya said, looking around.
This definitely couldn't be handled sloppily; it's usually cold at night, so what if she caught a cold?
With that thought, Hoshimi Aya set her sights on the large trash can in the garage; it looked quite clean.
Seeing this, Hoshimi Aya went over to the trash can and opened the lid. The trash inside was in black plastic bags and wasn't very dirty. She considered taking the trash out, lining it with some scrap paper, and sleeping inside.
After walking around once more, Hoshimi Aya found that only the trash can met her requirements.
Seeing this, Hoshimi Aya began taking out the trash bags one by one. After lining it with cardboard, she crawled inside.
This trash can was very large, at least enough for her to sleep in, and it didn't smell too bad; it must be cleaned regularly.
Besides, she was already living on the streets; finding such good conditions was already lucky. It was at least much better than sleeping on the street and being exposed to the wind.
And the cold night wind was truly freezing. It might be fine at first, but it would get colder as time went on, unless it was summer.
Otherwise, as time passed, her body temperature would drop lower and lower, and she would feel extremely cold.
So it was better to find a place without wind to rest, and the trash can was relatively safe.
At least it was much better than sleeping on the street.
...
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