This statement was practically confirmation enough.
The one who had fought fiercely with Shinji yesterday was indeed Moxi!
Tamamo Hotaru never imagined things would turn out this way.
Eventually, she too regained her composure.
"If you want to kill me, just do it. I only learned your true identity after the fact… but I don't regret anything."
"You think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"
Moxi flew into a sudden rage. A yellowish‑brown tail made of sand extended from behind her.
Its tip, shaped almost like a hand, clamped tightly around Tamamo Hotaru's neck and lifted her straight into the air.
Kazahana Yukihime barely glanced up, then continued eating quietly as if she had seen nothing at all.
Everything she had said before had been a lie.
The truth was that the strange egg she had found and brought back was actually a means of survival for Moxi. Once Moxi had recovered enough Cursed Energy, she had broken out of it.
Although Moxi's own Cursed Arts had influenced events along the way, the undeniable fact remained: Kazahana Yukihime had been the one to bring her back.
So after a rather… "frank" discussion, the two had reached an agreement.
If Yukihime could arrange for Tamamo Hotaru to meet her one more time, Moxi would help her reclaim the Land of Snow afterward.
Yukihime had spent years running away from her past, but sooner or later, one has to face it.
That was how all of this had come to pass.
Shinji had suspected the chaos within the entertainment industry, but he never expected Moxi herself to be involved in this way.
Tamamo Hotaru struggled in pain, gasping for air. Just as she was on the verge of suffocating, Moxi suddenly flung her hard against the wall.
Thud!
Tamamo Hotaru slid down to the floor, coughing violently and desperately trying to catch her breath.
"If I'd known from the start that you were with that bastard, I would have killed you the very first time we met!"
Moxi seemed still consumed by anger — anger at being deceived, and fury that Shinji just wouldn't leave her alone.
She had run all the way from the Red Chamber to the Land of Wu, changed her identity, become an actress, and even taken on minor roles as an extra. Hadn't she gone far enough to stay out of trouble?
If she hadn't seen Tamamo Hotaru rush over at the last second and shout "Don't!" yesterday, she wouldn't be wasting words now — she would have just swatted her dead already.
"Cough… cough…"
"Still alive? Then get back here and finish your meal!"
Tamamo Hotaru remained silent for a moment, then returned to her seat, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating again.
"You put on such a brave act earlier… I really thought you weren't afraid of death. Hmph! How disappointing."
Moxi couldn't help but sneer. Tamamo Hotaru said nothing in reply, just continued eating quickly and mechanically.
Seeing her like this, Moxi found it impossible to stay angry.
During the meal, she deliberately ordered Tamamo around — asking her to serve more rice or pour water — and Tamamo obeyed every time.
"So boring. I'm done eating."
Moxi put down her bowl, glaring fiercely.
But with her appearance, she didn't look intimidating at all — she just looked cute.
Tamamo Hotaru set down her utensils as well, then looked up calmly and asked:
"Can I leave now?"
"Leave? Go where? Run back and tell that bastard to come kill me?"
Tamamo Hotaru bit her lip hard.
Moxi grew increasingly agitated and shouted loudly:
"You really think I'm scared of him? I've let him get away twice, but there won't be a third time! Go right now and call that jerk over. Tonight, we'll see exactly who ends up dead!"
Moxi wasn't joking. She had already made up her mind — she was ready to fight Shinji to the death, even if it meant mutual destruction.
At this rate, probably no one left alive in the entire Land of Wu would survive the aftermath.
And she didn't care anymore!
Tamamo Hotaru's expression was conflicted, but she didn't leave. She just sat there, head bowed.
Suddenly, the room fell completely silent.
After a while, Moxi's anger faded slightly. She suddenly asked her two questions.
"Why did you come yesterday? And why did you stop him from killing me?"
"I suppose… I was just worried. I was afraid you might anger him. But once I got there, I realized the situation was nothing like what I imagined. Shouting like that… it was just instinct. I didn't think about it at all. So if you ask me why… honestly, I don't know."
Moxi pouted, unclear whether she was satisfied with that answer or not.
"If you could go back to the beginning — knowing what I really am — what would you do?"
"I would have stayed far, far away from you right from the start."
"Hah! Fine. I get it now. Now get out of my sight!"
Moxi's expression turned dark instantly, and she began driving her away.
Tamamo Hotaru knew her answer would hurt her, but there was no helping it.
Between humans and Cursed Spirits, the relationship was inherently hostile. It was almost impossible to form deep, genuine bonds.
She had asked herself too — if she had known from day one that Moxi was a Cursed Spirit, would she ever have chatted and walked around town with her so casually?
The answer was definitely no.
It was one thing not to know the truth. But once you knew, there was no point pretending otherwise.
Tamamo Hotaru didn't wait to see if Moxi really meant it or not. She stood up and walked straight out.
She had already prepared herself for the worst — death was nothing more than the final outcome.
But from the moment she opened the door and stepped outside, there was no sound, no movement, and no one tried to stop her.
Just before leaving completely, she suddenly turned back toward Moxi and spoke earnestly:
"I'm sorry… maybe the word 'friend' is too precious. Something we never really deserved to have."
"Go! Go on, get out! Who would ever want to be friends with a human anyway?!"
Moxi seemed stung by those words and started shouting furiously.
By the time she ran out of breath and stopped yelling, Tamamo Hotaru was already long gone.
For some reason, a strange sense of emptiness washed over her.
Just yesterday, every day had felt so light and happy.
It was all that wretched human's fault!
Moxi ground her teeth, shifting all the blame onto Shinji.
"Are you afraid of me too?"
Kazahana Yukihime shook her head.
Moxi scoffed.
"Liar! Everyone is terrified of me, I know that."
As she spoke, she transformed her face into a terrifying demonic cat‑like appearance.
"Believe what you want. But I've always thought humans are the scariest creatures of all. Sometimes… I'd much rather look at this face of yours than see the ugly faces some humans wear."
Kazahana Yukihime remained perfectly calm. As she stood up to clear the table, she even glanced at Moxi with a hint of sympathy.
After all, from her point of view, if you set aside the fact that she was a Cursed Spirit, Moxi was nothing more than a lonely soul.
Of course, she had no intention of actually becoming friends with her.
Their relationship was simple and straightforward: they were just using each other.
Once she reclaimed the Land of Snow, would she really want to leave such a dangerous threat alive within her country?
Just look at how Tailed Beasts and their hosts had been treated in every nation throughout history. It proved that human arrogance was something deeply rooted from birth.
Perhaps there were rare individuals who could break down the barriers between species, who didn't care whether someone was human, ghost, Cursed Spirit, or even something entirely different.
But most people… couldn't.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be that old saying: If you aren't one of us, your heart must be different from ours.
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