Sharkie Ellen, You’ve Still Got Training to Do.
7: Chapter 7: How Could You Possibly Outwit a Fox Spirit?
Sharkie Ellen, You’ve Still Got Training to Do.
Buyuan didn’t linger at the store.
After borrowing the tapes and chatting for a bit, he took Makoto and headed home.
“Time to start typing!” After helping Makoto finish tidying up, Buyuan got ready to write.
Makoto lay beside the computer desk, her stubby little arms propping up her head.
Buyuan wrote Phaethon as the high-level technical support behind the Kamen Rider.
Of the two siblings, one was responsible for seeking out threats lurking in the darkness, while the other was a powerful and dashing dark-night hero.
After one leisurely act of vigilante justice, they discovered PubSec officers and the Yellow Scorpions in a shootout inside a Hollow.
The righteous Kamen Rider stepped forward…
“Ah~ I’m beat.
Made up some plot filler, then padded it out with Kamen Rider lore.
With the embellishments and adaptations from this incident, I managed to churn out a whole ten chapters.
As expected of me, truly a master of padding.” Buyuan stretched.
“En-neh, en-na-na.” (Not bad, writing-wise.
Too bad this Kamen Rider is a total lunatic.) Makoto had watched Buyuan type very attentively.
She thought the writing was quite good — too bad so much of it was fictionalized.
“Baal thinks I did a good job too, huh~” Buyuan scooped Makoto into his arms and gave her a squish.
Next up, he’d have to trouble the Phaethon siblings.
Cash Cow (He really IS a Kamen Rider!): Phaethon, there’s something I’d like to ask of you two.
Wise: Does Mr.
Kabuto have a commission?
Cash Cow: Yeah, though I suppose for you two, this barely counts as a commission.
I’d like you to help me set up an author account for novels.
The real-name registration needs to be virtual.
Wise: A novel account?
I don’t know what you’re planning, but this is a small matter.
Since we’ve agreed to take on your long-term commission, this little favor is free of charge.
Cash Cow: Thanks to you both.
Wise: Account: 1********9 Password: MaskdRidr.!1 Cash Cow: ok Buyuan logged into the account, changed the author name to Super Tokusatsu Fan, and uploaded all ten chapters he’d written in one go.
“Ok, now we just wait for the review.” Buyuan casually opened his chat app and sent goodnight messages to both Belle and Ellen.
After firing off the goodnights, he hugged Makoto and went to bed.
The nights in New Eridu remained calm and peaceful as always — except on the second floor of a certain housekeeping building.
“Ugh, this damn fox!” Ellen stared at his single goodnight message, and then at her own messages still sitting unanswered.
“Ah, forget it.
I was the one who didn’t reply first, after all.” Ellen finally picked up her phone.
Damn Fox (a contact name given by a certain shark): Goodnight.
Sharkie (a contact name given by a certain fox): This early?
Heard from Ruby you didn’t go to school yesterday either.
Something up?
Ten minutes later.
Sharkie: I’ll be at school tomorrow.
Sharkie: Goodnight.
Once a certain shark had successfully drifted off to sleep, the night in New Eridu finally sank into quiet, tranquil peace.
“Hng hng hng!
AAAAAHHHH!” A foul cry rang out, accompanied by full-body writhing and squirming.
“En-na-na-na-na!” (What’s going on?!
Has this lunatic finally lost it?!) Startled awake, Makoto sprang up from the bed.
“What’s with the fuss?
Who doesn’t make a little racket when they get up?” Buyuan gestured at his own freshly energized self.
“See?
Doesn’t this look nothing like someone who just rolled out of bed?
This young master is truly a natural-born beauty.” Buyuan picked up his phone and saw several unread messages.
He figured one was Belle’s goodnight, and the other few were probably from Ellen.
Sure enough, seeing Ellen’s five messages, only one word filled Buyuan’s head: Regret!
Three words: Deep, deep regret.
But at the same time, he felt a little happy.
This was clearly proof that they were getting along well, ya hear!
So Buyuan sent Ellen a good morning reply, said he’d make it to school on time, and went to wash up.
“Baal, I’m heading out.
If you’re bored, you can connect to my computer and surf the web.
If you want to go for a walk, head downstairs to the video store and find Belle.
No wandering off.” Buyuan tossed a few token reminders at Makoto, who was tidying the table, and left.
With two days of experience under his belt, Buyuan had become a master of the metro squeeze.
He nimbly found an empty seat in the carriage — drifting through a sea of flowers without a single petal sticking to him~ Just then, a figure equally nimble and graceful sat down right alongside him.
Green twin-tails threaded with two large green beads.
A crisp, efficient PubSec uniform.
The exposed skin bore the seam-like joint patterns of an automaton.
As the “young woman” sat down, a faint fragrance of tea lingered at Buyuan’s nose.
Buyuan kept his eyes fixed straight ahead on his phone, rigorously managing his expression.
At the same time, Qingyi was studying Buyuan with a pensive gaze.
Qingyi’s current expression was subtle.
According to a comparison with the database, the young man before her matched yesterday’s Kamen Rider with an unexpectedly high degree of congruence.
But the young man’s information in the database was equally outlandish.
An orphaned son of a former wealthy merchant from the old capital.
An eighteen-year-old male high schooler.
After moving to Sixth Street, he’d achieved a top-ten ranking on the shut-in leaderboard.
Only recently had he resumed a normal life.
‘How curious~’ As an automaton, Qingyi could not just see with her eyes — she could scan.
According to her data feedback, the other party seemed somewhat guilty.
Same white hair, matching fox ears.
Yesterday’s large coat was definitely meant to conceal certain features, such as…
a tail.
Eye color could be changed with contacts.
The half-covered face actually made little difference.
As for aura — to an automaton, that which misled ordinary people the most…
would not affect data matching one bit.
A sly glint flickered deep in Qingyi’s eyes.
Barring the unexpected, the young man before her was yesterday’s Kamen Rider.
As for Buyuan, his inner state seemed panicked but was, in truth, steady as a rock.
He was deliberately putting on a guilty act.
Aura could confuse most people, but it couldn’t confuse data.
Simple disguises naturally couldn’t deceive a veteran PubSec officer.
But!
Confusing most people was exactly what he wanted.
Judging by the story’s events, Qingyi saw through things clearly and was a crafty old hand, very adept at adapting.
Revealing just the right amount wouldn’t expose him — it would instead earn him an inside contact within PubSec.
“Young man, you look somewhat familiar.” Qingyi sipped her tea with an air of seasoned calm, dropping the line out of nowhere.
“Officer, we saw each other on the metro just a few days ago.” Buyuan pretended not to catch on, wanting to see if Qingyi had any intention of laying her cards on the table.
“As the ancients said: meeting is fate.
Besides, things come in threes~ In just a few short days, we’ve already met three times.
This shows we are very much fated.” Qingyi blew on her tea cup with practiced composure, then set it down and looked at Buyuan.
“No, no, this is only the second time, isn’t it?
Officer.” Buyuan replied.
“Just call me Qingyi.
If you’re talking about this face, then indeed, it is only the second meeting.
Though I would certainly prefer to have a second meeting with the other one as well.” Qingyi’s words carried a pointed meaning.
“If possible, I’d rather not.” Now that he was certain Qingyi had figured him out, Buyuan didn’t plan on hiding it anymore.
“Oh?
Surprisingly honest.
But I understand.
Seeing injustice, drawing a blade to help.
The deed done, vanishing into the shadows, hiding merit and name.
You young people enjoy playing the dark-night hero.
I understand, I understand~” Qingyi raised a finger beside her face, wearing an expression of complete comprehension.
There it was!
The senior’s signature pose!
So cute!!
Seeing this, Buyuan felt his entire life was now worthwhile.
As expected, the old-timer’s gap moe was top-rated.
“Senior Qingyi, as reasonable as ever.
I’m sure the senior already knows my name, so I’ll skip the self-introduction.
My stop’s here, so I’ll be off now.
Hopefully, our next meeting won’t be as awkward as the last.” Seeing the metro had arrived at his station, Buyuan stood to leave.
Before going, he couldn’t resist tossing out a teasing remark.
“Ah, young people nowadays.
So restless and impulsive~” Qingyi wasn’t the slightest bit angered by Buyuan’s teasing.
She calmly took a sip of tea.
She pulled out her phone, used PubSec bureau data to directly find Buyuan’s contact information, and sent a friend request.
“One more surprise~” The moment Buyuan stepped off the metro, he saw the new friend request on his phone.
Unsurprised, he accepted it and headed into school.
“Hey, Buyuan.
Ellen wasn’t here yesterday, so why didn’t you show up either~” The moment he reached the classroom, he saw that cheeky Ruby leaning in with a gossipy look.
“Oh?
You’re asking about that?
Well, now I’m wide awake.” Buyuan leaned in with an air of mystery.
“I spent yesterday maintaining the peace of New Eridu.” After delivering this line, Buyuan put on a deadpan fish-eyed expression and sat down at his desk.
Ruby, who had been gleefully excited just a second ago and was about to dig for details, was now met with Buyuan’s dead-fish face.
“Stinky fox, you’re messing with me!” Ruby was no fool.
She knew this damn fox was just treating her like an idiot.
“I’m not.
Every word is true.” Buyuan was unfazed.
Please, did I say anything false?
Nope~ Ellen, on the other hand, was a bit flustered.
What’s going on?
Is he hinting at me?
She really had taken a commission yesterday to clear out Ethereals from a specific area in a Hollow.
If Monna and Lynn hadn’t held Ruby back, she would’ve taken this chance to grab a handful of ear or tail.
Monna and Lynn also knew exactly what this troublemaker was planning to use the opportunity for, and quite decisively stopped her.
Please.
There was clearly something going on between Ellen and Buyuan.
You don’t touch your bestie’s man.
Ruby was hauled back to her seat by the two.
For a moment, the corner fell quiet.
Ellen and Buyuan didn’t quite know what to talk about either.
Plus, this guy had pulled weird stunts twice now.
“Right, Ellen.
I heard from Ruby and the others that you like candy, so I brought some especially for you.” Buyuan had a sudden flash of inspiration.
Right.
Ever since he’d learned his deskmate was a shark, he’d been carrying lollipops on him at all times.
Buyuan held out a strawberry-flavored lollipop towards Ellen.
Ellen paused for a moment, but still took it, tore off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth.
“Thanks.” Ellen’s thanks came out a bit muffled around the candy.
Then the two fell into a brief silence again.
Buyuan figured he’d need to find an opportunity tomorrow.
He’d place an order with Victoria Housekeeping for Ellen.
Not knowing her little secrets, plus not being a girl himself, it was hard to find common topics with Ellen.
‘Ah!
I’ve got an idea.’ A little lightbulb went off in Buyuan’s head.
“Ellen, could I ask how you usually maintain your tail?” Buyuan felt like a genius.
Wasn’t this an obvious common topic?
“Why the sudden question?” Ellen seemed a little self-conscious whenever her tail was brought up.
“I noticed your tail is really well cared for.
Looks like the texture would be amazing.
Different species and all, but maybe there’s something worth picking up.” Buyuan glanced at Ellen’s tail, a little covetous.
“It’s nothing special.
Just use shark Thiren skincare products and pair it with a massage.” “Massage?” Buyuan pretended not to understand and voiced the question.
“Yeah.
Though your tail probably doesn’t need it, right?” Ellen remembered that his tail was actually quite slender beneath all that fluff.
“I wouldn’t know.
Never tried it.
I just wash it with a special conditioner and blow-dry it directly.
Though I did hear about a more detailed maintenance method from a fox Thiren senior at a trading company.
But it’s a bit of a hassle, so I haven’t tried it yet.” Buyuan recalled a certain noble fox lady’s maintenance routine.
His hands were itching to give it a shot.
“A more detailed maintenance method!” Ellen’s expression shifted.
This guy’s tail already felt this ridiculously good.
A more detailed maintenance routine…
just how comfortable would it get?
“Yeah.
I’ll give it a try this weekend.
If the results are good, I’ll probably have to set aside time for it every day.” Buyuan felt he didn’t even need to try it to know the results would be top-tier.
“How did you get the graffiti on your tail?” Buyuan couldn’t hold back and finally asked the question.
“Ah, that…
s-stickers.” Ellen herself sounded a little unsure as she answered.
“Come on, at least sound a bit confident.” Buyuan was rather speechless.
How did this shark suddenly seem a little ditzy?
This shark is so lame~ “Here~ let me have a look.” The words slipped out on instinct.
“Huh?
No way!” Ellen turned her head and refused outright.
“Shame.” Buyuan wasn’t bothered by his abrupt request.
Being rejected was within expectations.
“What if I let you pet my tail again…
and in exchange, you let me pet yours?” Buyuan planned to propose an equal exchange.
After all, he hadn’t annoyed her today, so he didn’t have a convenient excuse to offer his tail.
Ellen was now caught in a fierce internal battle.
Letting him touch her tail was embarrassing, but at the same time, she really wanted to touch his tail.
Watching Ellen caught in her dilemma, Buyuan wasn’t in a hurry.
After all, Ellen didn’t have many friends and had limited social contact.
She was actually quite innocent.
If he really did get to touch her tail, it was unlikely any other guy would ever get the chance.
If he ever actually managed to win this little shark over, and she found out he also had a pair of wings, she’d definitely be sulking in a corner all by herself, fuming and shedding little pearls.
A long road ahead~ Sure enough, by the time the class bell rang and the teacher stepped up to the podium, Ellen was still agonizing.
The lollipop in her mouth clattered frequently against her teeth as she stirred it around.
“Once this chance is gone, it’s gone~ This is an equal exchange.” Buyuan leaned in close to Ellen and dropped the line out of nowhere.
Buyuan’s voice was like a devil’s whisper.
Ellen’s face flushed faintly red.
“Here!” With a fierce expression, Ellen threw her tail over towards him.
Buyuan felt the considerable force and nearly yelped.
“Then I’m going in.” Buyuan verbally gave warning, but his hand had already begun stroking long ago.
This time, it was Ellen who laid her head down on the desk.
Buyuan was rather contentedly stroking Ellen’s tail.
The shark’s normally rough skin seemed to have been considerably improved by Ellen’s care.
The touch carried a faint graininess, soft and springy — more resilient than a Bangboo.
“Yours!
Yours, now!” Ellen, still face-down, reminded him.
Then Buyuan laid his head down too.
Naturally, both of them were silently lying on the desk.
It had to be admitted — the two’s sleep quality had once again improved.
Tails having a place to rest, the petting bringing a strange sense of security, plus having an exceedingly fine-textured tail in hand.
The two’s sleep quality was once again guaranteed.
“Sharkie!
This time!
Really got stolen away!” Ruby’s expression was one of tragic indignation.
“Gwaaah!
Damn fox, I swear we are irreconcilable!” Ruby’s theatrical outburst made Lynn beside her unable to resist a snide remark.
“Facing a fox spirit as a mighty foe, with no tail or ears to match, even fighting with all my strength, I cannot win.” “You two are seriously enough already.” Monna looked speechlessly at her two best friends losing their minds.
“But!
I really wanna pet it too!” Ruby’s eyes held no lingering affection for her bestie, only thirst for the tail.
“I heard the massage parlor at Lumina Square…
if you get a membership, you can request a Thiren lady.
Rumor has it you can slip a little extra tip.” Monna said quietly.
Ruby and Lynn now looked at her with decidedly strange expressions.
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