The next day.
"Huh?!"
"Do you want me to bring the blade over?"
"Alright, I understand."
After saying that, Hoshimi Aya turned off her phone and looked at Belle and Wise beside her.
"Aya, did something happen?"
Belle asked as she looked at Hoshimi Aya.
"Miyabi wants me to take the blade to the Hoshimi Family home."
"They'll be sending someone to pick me up in a bit."
Hoshimi Aya thought to herself; this situation was clearly about the blade.
They probably didn't want to see her, but rather the demon blade.
After all, it was so obvious that even a fool would know why.
Speaking of which, it had been so long that she thought the Hoshimi Family didn't care about it.
"Aya, I heard from Nicole that the Hoshimi Family has an ancestral treasure blade."
"It's currently in Miss Ya's hands. Aya, is yours any different from hers?"
Wise pondered.
Being in such a hurry meant something must have gone wrong.
And it was very likely related to that blade.
"I'm not sure either."
"It doesn't seem to be any different."
"Aside from the color being different when in use, everything else seems identical."
Hoshimi Aya stroked her chin in thought.
After all, she hadn't used the one in Hoshimi Miyabi's possession, so she wasn't sure if there were any differences.
However, they looked exactly the same on the outside, with no discernible differences.
"I think I might know."
"But it might be a bit of a problem."
"Aya, do you remember the origin of this blade?!"
Wise frowned as he thought.
He hadn't considered this issue before, since Hoshimi Miyabi hadn't asked about it at the time.
Now it seemed the Hoshimi Family's reaction to this matter was quite significant.
Another copy of their ancestral treasure blade had appeared, and it looked completely identical.
If Aya couldn't explain the origin of the blade in her hand, it could be quite troublesome.
Fortunately, Aya was also a member of the Hoshimi Family; otherwise, being hunted down would be the least of her worries.
"...I don't know. When I woke up, the blade was right next to me."
"I don't know its origin either, and there's a mysterious connection between me and the blade."
Hoshimi Aya shared what she knew.
She had thought about this before; she might be a counterpart of Hoshimi Miyabi, which would naturally mean the blade was the same.
But after these past few days, she had discarded that theory; this blade was completely different from the one in the game's plot.
At least, it felt completely different to use than how it was portrayed in the game.
"Brother, can't you look on the bright side?"
"Like... like..."
Belle trailed off, unable to think of anything positive to say.
"You don't need to worry about me."
"At the very least, I'm certain they won't do anything to me."
"In a way, I am considered a member of the Hoshimi Family."
"At most, they'll just ask about the blade. It's fine."
Hoshimi Aya thought to herself; it was impossible for them to move against her.
It was even more impossible for them to try and take the blade from her.
So she guessed that they were calling her over just to inquire about the blade.
"That's likely the case."
"Anyway, Aya, if anything happens, you can tell us."
"No matter what happens, we'll be by your side."
Wise nodded, agreeing with Hoshimi Aya's words.
"That's right, Aya."
"No matter what happens."
"We'll be by your side."
Belle also nodded.
Hoshimi Aya:...
"Don't talk as if something bad is going to happen."
"It's giving me the creeps."
Hoshimi Aya frowned.
It was just a trip to the Hoshimi Family home.
Why did they make it sound like she was going to a Hongmen Banquet?
Suddenly, Belle's phone chimed. Seeing this, Belle picked it up to check.
"It's Nekomata."
"She wants us to go to the garage."
"Looks like there's an update on Ollie's side."
Belle said while looking at her phone.
"The interrogation must have yielded some results."
"The Hoshimi Family people probably won't be here that soon. Let's check on Nekomata first."
Wise nodded.
Then, they went to the garage, where they saw Nekomata teasing an orange tabby cat by the trash cans.
"Proxys, you're here."
Nekomata said with a serious expression.
"Nekomata, is there news about Ollie?"
Belle asked Nekomata.
"Yeah, the current results seem good."
"But my intuition tells me something is wrong."
"Among the street gangs, it's rare for someone to spill everything so readily."
"Let's go inside your shop to talk."
Nekomata said, frowning.
The group nodded and returned to the shop, where Nekomata began recounting her meeting with Ollie.
Halfway through Nekomata's story, there was a sudden knock at the door.
"It seems the Hoshimi Family people are here."
Wise said, looking at the monitor showing the front door.
Ever since Hoshimi Miyabi brought her father over last time, they had installed a dedicated security camera at the entrance.
"I see. Sorry, Nekomata."
"I might not be able to go to The Hollow with you."
Hoshimi Aya said apologetically.
She knew Nekomata wanted her to come along.
That way, safety would be guaranteed; after all, it wasn't realistic for Nekomata to handle a whole gang of bandits on her own.
"Do you have something else to do?"
"Alright then, meow."
Nekomata said with a hint of disappointment. If Hoshimi Aya went with her, safety wouldn't be a concern at all.
It seemed her next move would need to be more cautious.
"Yeah, I'll be going now."
Saying that, Hoshimi Aya took the demon blade and went to the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw two men in suits standing there.
"Second Miss, the Family Head has sent us to pick you up."
One of the men in suits said respectfully to Hoshimi Aya.
Hoshimi Aya nodded and followed them into a luxury car.
...
After a journey of over half an hour.
Hoshimi Aya finally arrived at the Hoshimi Family's location.
Before her eyes was a large manor.
"Uh... the Hoshimi Family is a big family, after all."
"Why do they live in a place like this?"
Hoshimi Aya said, somewhat confused, looking at the manor that didn't seem to have a modern style.
"The Hoshimi Family is a fairly traditional one."
"And this isn't the actual Hoshimi Family estate."
"However, the Eldest Miss prefers this style, which is why this place exists."
"The Family Head usually stays here as well."
The man in the suit leading Hoshimi Aya through the manor replied.
Hoshimi Aya nodded and carefully observed her surroundings.
Soon, after many twists and turns, the two finally reached their destination.
"Second Miss, the Family Head and the Eldest Miss are inside."
The man in the suit pointed at the door and then left.
...
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