Kozue was especially glad she hadn't brought Red Ponytail along. She could imagine that the moment Red Ponytail heard those words, her first reaction would be to start a fight.
"Protection money. One thousand yen. Pay up, and I'll let you go."
"Th-this..."
Looking at the yellow-haired girl's outstretched hand, Kozue wore a troubled expression. She opened her wallet and took a look.
"Um... could I treat you to some ice cream instead?"
"Huh?"
Hearing that, the yellow-haired girl clicked her tongue in displeasure.
"Are you poor or something?"
"Mm... I don't have much allowance left..."
Looking at the money in her wallet, Kozue could only smile wryly. After all, she now had to pay for meals and round-trip train tickets for both herself and Red Ponytail. The other girl had no money on her at all, so Kozue was supporting her entirely. Her parents had gone overseas and would not be back anytime soon, so Kozue really did not have much money to spare.
"Fine, I guess this will do for now."
Hearing Kozue say that, the yellow-haired girl giggled and nodded.
"Then let's go!"
While Kozue was being dragged off for ice cream by the yellow-haired girl, Red Ponytail sat cross-legged on the sofa, staring thoughtfully at the Personal Terminal before her.
Red Ponytail was now certain that the strange Rumor Witch was connected to what had happened in this world. The proof was that after yesterday's Rumor Witch had been killed, the energy signal Fang Zheng had connected to Red Ponytail had grown stronger. This allowed her to directly activate Red Ponytail's Personal Terminal and start doing what she wanted.
At present, Red Ponytail's investigation had two main focuses. One was the Rumor Witches. These witches were clearly different from ordinary witches. First, Rumor Witches were generally