"Thank you."
Tamamo Hotaru wiped away her tears and spoke with great sincerity.
It was unclear whether she was thanking Shinji for saving her from Kumogakure again or for healing Bright Moon.
Shinji did not think much of it. He simply replied, "You paid me, so I dealt with your trouble," and left it at that.
His utter lack of tact with women was on full display.
Fortunately, after spending these past few days together, Tamamo Hotaru had come to understand their personalities, so she did not find his answer too cold.
Don't ask. If you did, the answer was that she was used to it.
Meanwhile, Princess Haruna, who had hidden earlier and even considered abandoning everyone to flee, returned with her people.
There was not the slightest embarrassment on her face.
That thick skin alone made her a leading candidate to become the next Daimyō!
After all, people in that line of work were all like that.
"Strange. How could those people back home possibly persuade Kumogakure to assassinate me?"
Seemingly aware that her earlier behavior had not gone over well, Princess Haruna took the initiative to raise a topic as soon as she returned.
She also put on a deeply remorseful expression.
Tamamo Hotaru was too inexperienced to immediately recognize what she really meant by that, so she hurriedly explained, "It has nothing to do with you. These people were actually after me..."
There it was!
That was exactly what she wanted to hear!
With those words, Princess Haruna could absolve herself of any involvement. Even her earlier flight, which had cost her their goodwill, became understandable.
After all, she was only an ordinary person. Her few guards could not help at all, and staying would only have made things worse.
Most importantly, those powerful enemies had