"What did you say?"
"I'm going to save the world!"
Tamamo Hotaru declared this with a solemn expression.
Shinji looked up at the sky. The sun and moon hadn't risen together, so why had someone suddenly gone mad?
"Here!"
"What is it?"
"An IOU. I've already written it."
Shinji put it away without even looking.
Then Tamamo Hotaru smiled as though her scheme had succeeded. "Since you've accepted the 'payment,' that means you've accepted the commission, right?"
"Yeah, it's just taking these women to the village up ahead. All right, I get it."
Shinji waved impatiently, telling Tamamo Hotaru to hurry up and get out of the way.
But the smile on Tamamo Hotaru's face only grew smugger. "Who said the IOU I just gave you only covered payment for one commission?"
Huh?
Shinji froze, then immediately took out the IOU he'd just put away and examined it.
His face instantly darkened.
Fuck, I've been tricked!
As it turned out, the IOU listed payments for two separate commissions.
The first was the one they'd just discussed, while the second was to escort Shion to the Land of Birds.
Because Shinji hadn't taken it seriously, he'd put it away without looking, and now Tamamo Hotaru had turned it into leverage against him.
Damn it!
Shinji immediately prepared to tear up the IOU and pretend nothing had happened.
As an upstanding man, surely it was perfectly normal for him to play the shameless rogue.
But Tamamo Hotaru had already guarded against this move. Before he could act, she hurriedly said, "Anyway, you've already accepted payment, which means you've accepted both commissions. Also, you'd better keep that IOU safe. If you lose it or damage it, that's nothing to do with me."
Shinji looked at Tamamo Hotaru, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and