Chapter 124: Let’s Play with Balloons
Chapter 124: Let’s Play with Balloons
Tsukikage Chuxia tapped the holy grail with the small golden stick, making a clear ringing sound. She grinned. “This is 100% pure gold. Just this alone could cover your expenses. We might even owe you money!”
Fang Cheng hadn’t expected a broken cup to earn him cash. He leaned in. “How much would you owe me?”
Tsukikage Chuxia waved a paw. “Not sure yet! We’ll need to check it properly. But don’t worry—our shop’s got a solid reputation. We won’t cheat you.”
Fang Cheng chuckled. “Money’s not my concern. I don’t care about it. You can keep the profit—I just want to be friends.”
The last two days had shown how crucial teamwork and information were. Even the strongest fighter would fumble blindly without intel.
Building a good relationship with Tsukikage Hoshi might mean discounts on future info. Worth a shot.
Tsukikage Chuxia smirked. “No need to butter up the boss lady. Customers get fair treatment either way.”
Fang Cheng glanced at the catnip spilled over the driver’s seat.
Buttering up the boss wasn’t necessary. Buttering up *this* cat, though? Vital. And she didn’t seem immune to bribes.
“Oh!” He paused before leaving. “Is your izakaya the Fox Spirit House that buys monster corpses on the black market?”
Tsukikage Chuxia’s voice had always sounded familiar. Now, seeing her take the holy grail, he remembered the Fox Spirit House phone operator—same voice.
“Nope!” Tsukikage Chuxia shook her head. “Go find Fox Spirit House yourself.”
Fang Cheng studied her face. The lie was obvious, but he dropped it. He grabbed the holy grail and golden stick, returning to his car.
Asaka Akihime had watched their conversation. Normally she’d stay quiet, but now she hesitantly asked, “Cheng-kun… who was that pretty girl?”
“A fat cat.”
Asaka Akihime tilted her head. “Fat cat?”
“Cat monster. Cat girl. However you call it—a chubby cat who sells info.”
“Oh!”
She didn’t react strongly. Regular folks knew about monsters from news online. She just wondered about Cheng-kun’s relationship with the cat girl. His tone suggested nothing special.
Fang Cheng waited until Takeda Masumi’s team arrived to secure the gym before driving off.
Tsukikage Chuxia wanted to leave immediately, but without the holy grail and stick, she had to follow.
Both cars retraced their route to flower street, stopping outside the izakaya.
Fang Cheng and Tsukikage Chuxia stared at the empty spot in front.
The motorcycle was gone.
A broken lock lay on the ground, mocking them silently.
Fang Cheng had expected this. That junk bike getting stolen was inevitable—he’d ignored it while rushing to save someone that morning. No surprises here.
He, the victim, remained calm, but Tsukikage Chuxia exploded with anger.
“Who dares to steal a motorcycle right at my doorstep? This infuriates me!”
She hopped around in front of the izakaya, yelling like a cat whose tail got stepped on.
Strangely, none of the passersby glanced her way despite the commotion from such a pretty girl.
Fang Cheng called out to Tsukikage Chuxia, “Stop jumping. You still owe me compensation regardless of your anger.”
Tsukikage Chuxia settled down, patting her flat chest. “Relax, customer. We’ll find your motorcycle.”
She wondered: a spell protected the izakaya’s entrance, keeping ordinary people away. How had the motorcycle been stolen?
Anyone capable of bypassing the spell wouldn’t bother stealing vehicles.
Fang Cheng didn’t mind much—he already owned a beloved luxury car.
That old motorcycle people kept eyeing? Good riddance.
“Can I get cash instead?”
“No!”
Tsukikage Chuxia clenched her teeth. “We must recover it. Our shop’s reputation depends on it.”
“Fine.”
Fang Cheng handed over the holy grail and vajra. Once appraised, any remaining funds would be sent to him.
He asked the cat girl, “Could you personally deliver the money to my place if you’re free?”
“Ew! Got ulterior motives? No thanks.”
“Flat chests don’t interest me. Just wanted to treat you for this morning’s speedy delivery. Your choice.”
He patted his backpack and left with a grin.
Tsukikage Chuxia stared at the backpack—earlier, he’d pulled multiple catnip packets from it.
A blatant lure.
Fang Cheng drove off. His goal wasn’t the flat-chested cat girl but forging a sliver of friendship with Tsukikage Chuxia.
Easier to gather information or request favors later.
As the saying went: make many friends, few enemies. More friends meant more opportunities.
The boss lady Tsukikage Hoshi proved unapproachable, but this cat girl with a catnip habit? Far simpler.
A few packets would do the trick.
After leaving flower street, the exhausted Sato siblings slept soundly, immune to attempts to wake them.
Fang Cheng and Asaka Akihime, however, felt refreshed, as if they’d just risen from bed.
Fang Cheng finally asked, “What happened in paradise?”
Asaka Akihime shook her head blankly. “Felt like a nap.”
“Any gifts?”
“None.”
She’d received no rewards except improved looks.
Fang Cheng frowned. Had Iyaya skipped testing her? Just handed out freebies?
While pleased by her change, he worried. Evil god’s favors never came cheap.
Such beings cared only for amusement, indifferent to their tools’ survival.
He’d been dragged into paradise, toyed with start to finish, glimpsing Iyaya briefly during the second test—now a fading memory.
Without hallucinations, they’d never have communicated. Iyaya saw him as a plaything, beneath divine notice.
Typical godly behavior: aloof, mortals as pawns.
Iyaya’s unexplained generosity toward Asaka Akihime surely hid future pitfalls.
Helplessness gnawed at him—they existed on different planes. No countermeasures possible.
He shelved the concern. If evil gods were invincible, they’d rule the world already.
Time would tell. Current power disparities made haste pointless.
“What about Ye Yuqing? Still around?”
“She’s…here.”
Asaka Akihime’s expression shifted oddly. Previously, maintaining the twin-star state required special means, with one personality soon dozing off.
Now both she and Ye Yuqing stayed awake—an anomaly.
Her tone hardened abruptly: “What do you want?”
Ye Yuqing had taken over.
Fang Cheng shrugged. “Nothing. Switch back to Asaka.”
“Why should I?”
“Fine. Let’s blow balloons then.”
Poof!
Ye Yuqing vanished instantly.