Lungmen — Upper District.
Beside the bustling shopping street.
"Are you sure this is actually going to work, Sora…? This doesn't feel reliable at all."
Exusiai wore a tortured expression as she fiddled with the long, strap-on object behind her. Then she shot an aggrieved look at Sora, who was very obviously struggling not to laugh.
"Back in Siesta, I already had my suspicions," Exusiai said, narrowing her eyes. "Sora… were you just messing with me?"
"Pfft—of course not," Sora replied, covering her mouth as her shoulders trembled. "Do you not trust the methods of a top idol when it comes to chasing a man?"
Exusiai thought about it and—painfully—had to admit it made sense. Sora might never have dated, but as a celebrity, she clearly had more "experience" in these matters than Exusiai, a perpetually single woman.
Except…
Under the curious, astonished stares of passersby, Exusiai's face went stiff with embarrassment. She lowered her head and hurriedly yanked Sora—who was practically shaking with laughter—closer by the arm.
"Then why is everyone looking at me like I'm a clown?"
Sora's shoulders kept twitching. She pointed toward Exusiai's backside.
"B-Because… a Sankta with a tail is just… kind of… kind of weird."
Exusiai stood there, halo shining, wings spread, and a tail dragging behind her. She looked so miserable that Sora couldn't stop herself—she stepped forward and patted Exusiai on the shoulder, still laughing.
"But look at it this way, Exusiai. Maybe Chen Mo really will change his views because of it?"
"…As long as my man doesn't treat me like a joke," Exusiai sighed. "If that happens, I'll thank the Lord for His mercy."
Sora wasn't wrong. If Exusiai didn't change something, Chen Mo would probably keep treating her like a buddy forever.
Maybe for some women, being able to stay close to a handsome man like Chen Mo—getting the occasional little advantage—was already more than enough. They wouldn't dare ask for anything more, afraid they'd lose even the "friend" position.
But Exusiai didn't want to be Chen Mo's buddy.
She was a perfectly normal woman, and she wanted to do things with him that "buddies" didn't do.
Before she met someone she liked, it hadn't mattered. But after meeting Chen Mo, those thoughts had turned into a faucet that couldn't be shut off—no matter how hard she tried.
During their Siesta trip, even Texas—of all people—had pointedly asked whether Exusiai had been doing that sort of thing by herself all the time, leaving Exusiai so red-faced she nearly died on the spot.
And if Chen Mo really did look at her differently because of this custom "prop"… then maybe, just maybe, her long-held dream wasn't impossible.
Just imagining Chen Mo changing his view of her—no longer treating her like a "sister," but truly seeing her as a woman—made Exusiai's heart race with excitement.
"Exusiai… Exusiai!"
"Huh? W-What?"
Sora stared at the expression that had just crept onto Exusiai's face and clicked her tongue.
"…Stop smiling like that. And whatever you do, don't smile like that in front of Chen Mo."
"It's a massive turn-off. If he sees it, with his personality, he'll mock you without mercy."
Exusiai immediately slapped her own cheeks, hard enough to make her halo wobble.
"Got it. Now go—hurry. Chen Mo will be here any minute."
…
What a shameless, lovestruck traitor.
Sora had even gone out of her way to custom-order a Vouivre tail for Exusiai—specifically for this "operation."
Granted, Sora also genuinely enjoyed watching Exusiai chase a man. It was like watching a movie—too entertaining to miss.
Sora glanced at the flow of pedestrians, then gave Exusiai a firm smack on the back.
"Remember what I told you. Don't be too aggressive. Don't cling to him like you used to. And don't get desperate and rush up to grab his hand."
"Keep a respectful distance. Respect his identity as a man. Don't try to take advantage of him during the outing. Learn to refuse sometimes."
"And after I leave—if Chen Mo doesn't show up right away, don't you dare send him that essay-length love letter you wrote again. No man respects a woman who makes herself cheap."
Sora's nonstop instructions didn't annoy Exusiai at all. Exusiai listened seriously, nodding hard.
"Don't worry, Sora. Watch me take Chen Mo down today!"
Sora gave her a look that said sure, keep dreaming. At Exusiai's current level, landing Chen Mo was still a distant fantasy.
But Sora didn't crush her confidence. She offered a few words of encouragement, then walked off, leaving Exusiai alone.
Hopefully Exusiai would get what she wanted.
Exusiai watched Sora disappear, and nerves began to creep in despite herself.
Would Chen Mo like the tail…?
"You're Exusiai?"
A stranger's voice.
An old enemy, coming to settle a score?
Exusiai whirled around in alarm—then instantly relaxed when she saw who it was.
"Ch—Chen Mo? Why are your horns and tail so much smaller? And…"
Exusiai's gaze refused to obey her. It slid toward the silver-haired figure's chest again and again.
"Why is your chest bigger than mine?"
Talulah's expression remained calm. Unlike Hui-chieh, she didn't come in swinging with a scowl and fists. She simply pointed toward a café nearby.
"Let's talk somewhere else. Agreed?"
"Huh? O-Okay. Sure."
What a terrifying presence.
Who was this woman who looked so much like Chen Mo? Another relative?
Chen Mo's family… seemed more and more ridiculous by the minute.
Inside the café, Exusiai sat ramrod-straight across from the woman, not daring to show even a hint of slackness.
Talulah, for her part, silently studied the Sankta woman before her—the one lusting after her brother, the one who had just declared she'd "take him down."
After a long, suffocating silence, Exusiai couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke first.
"Um… e-excuse me… may I ask how I should address you?"
"Talulah," the woman said calmly. "Chen Mo's elder sister."
Then Talulah's eyes flicked to the tail behind Exusiai.
"So this is your little 'tool' for seducing my brother?"
"N-No—wait—well, yes, but not like that! It's not what you think!"
Exusiai panicked.
Saying "seduce" as a joke among friends was one thing. Hearing it from Chen Mo's family was something else entirely—it made her sound like a delinquent, a lowlife, some lawless hoodlum trying to drag a respectable man into the gutter.
And the worst part?
Exusiai realized, with a cold jolt, that she probably did look like exactly that.
But there was no way she could admit it. She waved her hands frantically, sweating as she tried to explain to Talulah's unchanging face.
"I—I am pursuing your brother, yes, but believe me! I'm not that kind of person!"
"That kind?" Talulah replied flatly. "I haven't said a single word about what kind."
Exusiai choked on her own words. Even the halo above her head began flashing in panic.
What was this?!
She wasn't even officially his partner yet—how had she already stumbled into the "meet the family" stage?
Wasn't this supposed to be the nightmare boss fight you unlock only after you've already… taken the prize?
And Talulah was terrifying. The air around them was getting hotter—this had to be her Arts, right?
A Draco's terrifying Arts—just like Chen Mo's.
Talulah stared at her without blinking. Exusiai could only force a stiff, ugly smile.
She never should have chased Sora away.
....
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