"Ms. Akane seemed to have come to a realization..." Watching Akane Kosaka unconsciously draw back her wrist, Sogo Doma's smile grew increasingly playful.
Thanks to the fool-the-people politics of this country, as well as the arrangements of the Bureau of Strategic Deception across the sea, Akane Kosaka believed about seventy percent of what Sogo Doma said. And because she believed it, she felt terrified. So this was how the Celestial Empire controlled its single population...
"Chopping off hands, huh~!" Akane Kosaka took a sip of wine, a flicker of lingering fear crossing her face.
"That's right~!" As though he had not noticed Akane Kosaka's mood, Sogo Doma nodded. "Although this kind of voluntary repentance usually doesn't do much good. After spending Singles' Day the following year, most people still choose to chop off their hands again..."
Akane Kosaka: "..."
!!!
"Wait, Young Master Doma, exactly how many hands do people in the Celestial Empire have? What do you mean, most people still choose to chop off their hands after spending their second Singles' Day...?"
"Hmm~! You found the flaw in that, huh?" Sogo Doma rubbed his chin.
"You deliberately left that there for me to point out, didn't you?" Akane Kosaka felt her eyelid twitch again.
"Umm~!" Sogo Doma tilted his head. "Let me put it another way. In fact, to celebrate the arrival of November 11th—Singles' Day—major merchants throughout the Celestial Empire would discount their goods around that time..."
Akane Kosaka: "..."
Wait a second!
Why would they celebrate Singles' Day? Wasn't being single shameful? Weren't older unmarried men and women supposed to be the subject of gossip?
"Young Master Doma, are you sure they're celebrating the arrival of Singles' Day?" Akane Kosaka was somewhat confused.
"Of course~!" Sogo Doma nodded again. "If they weren't celebrating Singles' Day, then