Chapter 2: Now, please ask the other party for help!

Even though Xiao Nuosang really didn’t want to point out its host’s flaws, a random stray cat hissing on the street was still fiercer than its own host.

…How could anyone tolerate this?!

‘Baby~’

Xiao Nuosang began giving advice.

‘That’s not how you curse someone! You have to be vicious! Mean! Dripping with malice! Come on, repeat after me—’

‘“You useless piece of electronic trash, you can’t even do this little thing right, no wonder people call you artificial retardation!”’

‘The tone has to be cold, full of contempt.’

“Oh… oh…”

Someya Sara nodded with half understanding, picked up her phone, and imitated Xiao Nuosang’s tone.

“U-useless… electronic trash…”

The girl’s face was serious, but her voice was soft and fluffy, even a little stuttery, completely lacking any intimidation factor.

Xiao Nuosang: “…” Never mind, pretend I said nothing.

Ding-dong!!

Right at that moment, the doorbell rang.

Someya Sara jumped in fright and almost flung her phone to the floor.

W-who is it?!

At this hour?!

Hoshiori Tsukiyo had a key and said she wouldn’t be back tonight…

“Someya-neesan?”

It was a girl’s voice, not soft at all, slightly husky, like the wind in March, drifting in from outside the door.

“Are you home?”

Hearing that voice, fragments of the original host’s memories flooded in—

Right! The neighbor next door, the college student, surname Hachiya? Because of the original host’s vision problems, she sometimes asked her to buy daily necessities. Their relationship wasn’t particularly close, but the original host’s bullying-the-weak-and-fearing-the-strong personality actually toned down quite a bit in front of this seemingly aloof neighbor.

‘Baby, baby!!’

Xiao Nuosang suddenly got excited.

‘Perfect chance! Since little Ai classmate is unreliable, right now, immediately, faster than thunder can cover your ears while you steal a bell, ask this neighbor to post it for you!’

“N-now?” Someya Sara’s eyes widened slightly, completely at a loss.

“I haven’t prepared any lines yet…”

‘Baby, improvise! Think of Lord Main God’s spirit-injecting rod.’

Someya Sara: QAQ.

—“I… I can do this!”

Cheering herself on inside, Someya Sara grabbed her white cane and shuffled step by step toward the entrance.

Click…

A moment later, the girl’s hand found the lock and opened the door.

The woman outside was very tall.

The girl had to tilt her head way back just to make out a blurry gray shadow that was probably the other’s cheek. At the same time, perhaps because the scent in the air was too distinct, a faint fragrance of osmanthus mixed with something cold and sharp clearly wafted over from the woman.

Someya Sara was enveloped by it.

“Nn…”

Someya Sara bit her lip, her body unconsciously trembling slightly, like a harmless little animal being towered over by a dangerous large predator.

“Someya-san.”

The woman didn’t get angry at all for how long it took to open the door; she simply spoke calmly, her voice almost flat.

“The milk and bread you asked me to buy this morning.”

—Ah…

—Right, the original host really had asked her.

“Th… thank you…”

Someya Sara instinctively wanted to say thanks.

But the moment the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered the original host never said thank you to this neighbor. So, to maintain her villain persona, the girl hurriedly forced an impatient expression.

“…Hmph! W-well, at least you’re somewhat useful!”

Hachiya RiAi: “…”

A delicate silence filled the air.

Someya Sara felt her face burning, her whole body getting hotter and hotter, like she was about to combust.

It felt… just a little embarrassing.

After an unknown amount of time passed in silence, the corners of Hachiya RiAi’s lips lazily lifted, and she let out a soft laugh. The sound was very light, like the reflection on water, like the whisper of flowers, like the gentle song of the wind.

“Someya-neesan today…” she said slowly, leaning down slightly, letting the cool osmanthus scent and her warm body heat brush past the girl’s nose.

“…is a little different, isn’t she?”

After such an awkward moment, the girl naturally had no face left to ask for help. She hurriedly took the shopping bag, mumbled something, and quickly slammed the door shut.

Xiao Nuosang watched its host, once again, go completely silent like a startled rabbit.

“《C103 Blind Girl’s Wail: I Personally Witnessed My Childhood Friend’s Betrayal》—The Secret Between a Certain Manga Editor’s Wife and the Company President That Had to Be Told…”

Unable to ask the neighbor, Someya Sara could only rely on herself. Using voice-to-text in her phone’s notes app, she fabricated a “Friend A” out of thin air and wrote from his perspective about how Someya Sara went blind, how she depended on her girlfriend, and how she accidentally discovered proof that Hoshiori Tsukiyo was cheating, and so on and so forth…

Every line was filled with a friend’s indignation at Someya Sara’s depression and suicidal thoughts, along with fierce hatred for how capitalism uses money to corrupt love.

“…As a friend, the manga editor’s only friend, I really can’t stand watching anymore. I want to do something for her, so I’m posting this. I’m a normal human being. Seeing love being continuously corrupted by money really makes me worry deeply for the word ‘love.’ Love should be pure, without bias or selfish motives. My two friends have been together since kindergarten, then elementary school, middle school, and high school.”

“The result of more than ten years of effort shouldn’t be like this—one corrupted by money and gradually losing herself, the other blind and having attempted suicide multiple times.”

“My conscience and every piece of flesh in my body are telling me this is wrong. I have to expose it, because… I am human!”

“Unlike animals.”

After stumbling through the last line, Someya Sara quickly posted it to a local gossip forum section that Xiao Nuosang had carefully chosen for its strong anonymity.

『Congratulations baby, mission complete~』

『20 reward points issued. Current total points: 21』

The system notification sounded, but Someya Sara didn’t feel happy at all. Her cheeks felt even hotter than before…

Only now did she realize her post was a little (just a tiny bit) logically messy, full of exaggeration, over-the-top wording, and drenched in heavy chuunibyou energy (???).

According to the original plot, the original host always tricked Hachiya RiAi into posting for her, since a half-blind person found using the phone extremely tiring.

“So embarrassing!” Thinking back now, Someya Sara wanted to bury herself in her pillow.

『It’s okay, it’s okay~』

Xiao Nuosang tried its best to comfort her.

『Well… the writing is a bit immature, but the feelings are strong! And baby, look—the core accusations are all clear! Most importantly, mission complete, points secured!』

“Really?”

Someya Sara blinked blankly.

『Really!』 Xiao Nuosang’s voice was firm and confident.

Reassured by the system, Someya Sara tossed her phone aside, brushed her teeth, washed up simply, then curled up in bed and went to sleep.