"Koji, I haven't seen you in ages. What have you been doing lately?"
Stelle looked at Koji with curiosity, her golden eyes sparkling. When she first woke up, the first people she saw were Koji and the others—so the impression had stayed with her.
"Nothing much. Just went out to have fun with your sisters-in-law," Koji said with a smile.
And honestly, she really did give off that "cute little raccoon" vibe. No wonder she was the succubus of Star Rail—her charm really wasn't low at all.
"Sisters-in-law?"
Stelle sized up Lumine and the others. Every one of them was gorgeous, each with her own style.
A two-timing scumbag. Having that many girlfriends… so enviable—no, wait. What a damn jerk.
"I'm not," Yae Miko denied immediately. "Don't count me in. I'm still a single fox."
Koji nodded. "Miko isn't. She's just my pet little fox."
"Little fox?"
—
Only then did everyone notice that on top of Yae Miko's head, there really were three pairs of fox ears that looked incredibly nice to pet.
It made them think of the Foxians on the Xianzhou… but somehow it still didn't feel the same.
Yae Miko, of course, knew exactly what Koji meant by "little fox." She ground her teeth and shot Koji a vicious glare.
"Miko has nothing to do with the Xianzhou Foxians. Have you ever seen a fox this soft and seductive—and this trashy?" Koji said with a grin.
To be honest, even if Tingyun called someone "Benefactor," Koji still felt his own pink-haired little fox was more thrilling.
Besides, even though Yae Miko usually didn't show her tail, when she turned into a little fox, he'd played with it plenty of times. The feel of it was seriously something else.
"Awww, you naughty ghost~~~"
"Who are you calling a trashy fox?"
Yae Miko rolled her eyes, then immediately displayed that foxlike sultriness to the fullest.
"Ugh…"
That coquettish little sound made everyone perk right up. It was genuinely impossible to resist.
Even Koji was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Yae Miko to pull that move. It went straight to the bones—sweet, clingy, and ridiculously pleasant. Nice. He liked hearing it.
Himeko and the others wore strange expressions. No matter what, they couldn't possibly call out in that kind of syrupy tone—especially not in public.
Foxfolk really did have a heaven-given talent.
"Miko, what are you doing acting so horny?"
Raiden Ei looked at Yae Miko, her brows knitting slightly. Was this trashy fox in heat?
It was the first time she'd ever seen Yae Miko act like this. How to put it… it was weird. Unsettling.
Yae Miko: "…"
Raiden Ei's blunt jab made Yae Miko fall silent on the spot. Fine if other people said it, but you, of all people—could you give your old friend even a shred of face?
"Ei, you're not reading light novels ever again!" Yae Miko threatened.
Don't push her. She could shut down Yae Publishing House.
"Oh? If you can do it, then go ahead and try. I haven't trained in a while. Perfect timing—you can come spar with me," Raiden Ei said calmly.
She wasn't panicking at all. A tiny divine familiar wanted to climb onto her head and boss her around?
Yae Miko: "I…"
…Fine. Better to listen to her heart. She couldn't win.
And her fur might get scorched, too.
"Over there—Mr. Little Peacock—do you need something?" Koji asked with a smile.
He meant Aventurine. Originally, because of a booking issue, Aventurine would've come over to help the Trailblazer, but now he had no room to act at all.
Koji and the others being here left Aventurine with nothing he could do.
"Cough, cough. It's nothing," Aventurine said, putting on an awkward-but-polite expression.
Looks like there was no need for him to step in after all.
He could've used this to get acquainted with the Nameless… but now there was no chance.
Any plan involving Penacony would need to be revised.
"Aventurine?"
Just then, two people and a sentient machine approached. Asta naturally recognized Aventurine—she was quite familiar with Topaz from the Ten Stonehearts.
After all, when Topaz came to Herta to collect debts, Asta was the one who swiped the card.
Because of some matters, they hadn't left Penacony the same day. They'd stayed here for a while.
Herta and Screwllum had discovered the Dreamflux Reef, and they'd even detected traces of the Path of Propagation deep within—but they didn't deal with it. The Family wouldn't do anything about it either, so there was no reason for them to play the "nice guys."
Besides that, they'd also sensed faint, intermittent noise within Harmony. Penacony was starting to look kind of interesting.
"Asta Miss, Lady Herta, Mr. Screwllum…" Aventurine's face turned solemn as he bowed.
He hadn't received any news that these two geniuses had come to Penacony.
And Asta's background was so thick it was beyond imagination—her status was extraordinary. The Ten Stonehearts weren't even comparable.
Herta said nothing. Between her and the IPC, it was basically just a cooperative relationship. Beyond that kind of superficial contact… there was almost none.
"Aventurine, has Topaz been doing well lately?" Asta asked.
She guessed Aventurine represented the IPC and had come for Penacony. Naturally, she wouldn't ask about that and interfere with Aventurine's plans.
And as for the IPC's affairs—she didn't want to get involved, and she didn't want to influence anything.
"She's doing well," Aventurine said, nodding. He let out a quiet breath of relief. Thank goodness Asta didn't ask why he was here.
"When she isn't dealing with debt disputes, she spends time interacting with those little animals she adopted."
Asta nodded. She knew Topaz loved cute little animals—so much that it was practically an obsession.
"We'll be going, then."
After they left, Aventurine's expression grew complicated. What in the world was going on here?
"Mr. Aventurine, the geniuses are here for Dr. Calderon Chadwick's memory bubble. You'll have to trouble yourself to pass that along to the IPC," Sunday said, not minding at all if it disgusted the IPC a little.
"Chadwick…"
Aventurine thought for a moment, then his face lit with realization. This was something that happened a long time ago. If he weren't one of the Ten Stonehearts, he wouldn't even be qualified to know about it.
"This doesn't have much to do with the Strategic Investment Department, but I don't mind passing it along," Aventurine said with a faint smile.
This was something tied to the Marketing Development Department. And he didn't mind disgusting Oswaldo a little.
As for the Imaginary Collapse Pulse, the IPC took it very seriously. A terrifying super-weapon.
And even a "4.6 model," even if it wasn't a Pathstrider, could still use it.
Even if Oswaldo wouldn't actually suffer anything, being able to add a bit of annoyance? Aventurine was more than happy to.
"Is that so? Then the IPC should be careful. A genius's temper can be complicated and unpredictable. And this matter is also connected to the IPC," Sunday said noncommittally.
The IPC wasn't a single unified whole. It had plenty of internal departments. Them not getting along with each other was completely normal.
"That's true. If the geniuses come knocking, then let them go find the Marketing Development Department," Aventurine said.
He practically wished for the geniuses to come cause trouble.
Whether it was Herta, an Emanator of Erudition, or Screwllum, a machine king, neither was easy to deal with—especially Screwllum, an existence the IPC was extremely wary of.
The Genius Society might be scattered, but with Herta and the others' pull, they could still summon a few more geniuses. When that happened, even the IPC would get a headache.
(End of Chapter)
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