Marisa and Patchouli stared at each other, both realizing the gravity of the situation.
'There really is a thieving cat out there!'
"Who do you think the boss is with?"
"Reimu and her mama share a room—even he wouldn't go that far. Cross them out."
"Momoji's the most well-behaved person in the shop, and she's rooming with Aya. No way he'd mess with them."
"Suika and Yuugi only care about booze. Probably safe to ignore."
"Meiling and Koakuma just arrived today. Too soon for anything."
"That leaves Sakuya's room... or the Yakumo household!"
Patchouli's analysis was dead serious, her expression grim.
'Sakuya and Rin have been eye-fucking each other for ages. Wouldn't be surprised if they've already hooked up. And the Yakumos? Yukari flirts with the boss daily, and now there's that bombshell fox girl too!'
'How could anyone resist? Hell, he might be going at both of them right now, tearing up the sheets like a beast!'
"That bastard... just bullied me yesterday, and now he's off with some thieving cat?"
"He deserves divine punishment! Let's go beat his ass!"
"Mmm— Wait, hold up!" Patchouli suddenly halted, staring at Marisa's furious back.
'Wait... this is good for me! If the boss is fooling around with someone else, Marisa gets sidelined... meaning no more midnight or morning "disruptions."'
'I can finally sleep in peace!'
Her eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she turned on her heel.
"I'm going back to bed. Have fun."
"But you said you couldn't sleep!"
"I feel extremely sleepy now. Might even have a nice dream."
"???" Marisa gaped as Patchouli cheerfully waved and headed downstairs.
That earlier restlessness? Must've just been residual empathy conditioning. After tonight, I'm free!
Watching Patchouli leave, Marisa's eye twitched.
'I can't go catch him alone! What if I kick the door open and see some... unholy scene? Without backup, I'll freeze up!'
"Patchy, wait! Don't leave me!"
"Aren't you part of the shop too? Can you really let the boss run wild like this?"
"Yes."
"Patchy, don't be heartless! If we let his ambitions grow, who knows what'll happen?"
"Today he ditches me for some thieving cat, tomorrow, he might crawl into your bed!" Patchouli stumbled mid-step, the mental image hitting her like a truck. Her legs wobbled.
Seeing her waver, Marisa grinned and latched onto her arm—
"Just stand there for moral support! If the boss bothers you later, I'll help!"
"One condition."
"Name it."
"No provoking the boss for the next week."
"Deal! I'll be super well-behaved!"
Marisa's promise was airtight—technically, she only needed to whisper sweet nothings for Suika's plan. The real adventure could wait.
Patchouli sighed.
"I'm only there for intimidation. If you start a fight, I'm out."
"Got it!" As Marisa dragged her downstairs, Rin had already returned to their room, chugging water like a man saved from the desert.
'Yuugi's stamina is terrifying. If she hadn't passed out drunk, I'd be fighting till dawn. But that 'Drunken Euphoria' buff is the chef's kiss. Now I've got a shot against Yukari and the others…'
Stretching, he slid back under the covers, waiting for his golden-haired body pillow to walk right into the trap.
Meanwhile, Marisa and Patchouli moved like shadows through the darkened hallway.
But before taking the first step toward their mission, Marisa paused—
"Patchy, wait here. Gotta grab some gear for... morale."
"...Hurry up." Patchouli rolled her eyes. 'It's an ambush, not a war. Why so tense?'
'We're the righteous party here.'
Still, if it kept Marisa from causing chaos, fine.
'End this tonight, and I'm free forever!' Marisa sneaked back to her room, grinning.
'Need something impressive to scare the crap out of that bastard. Show him I'm not to be messed with!'
As she rummaged through the closet, half-buried in clothes, Rin —who'd been pretending to sleep—opened his eyes.
Silently, he rose from the bed, creeping toward her unsuspecting back.
Then— WHACK!
"Mmpphh!!" Marisa's scream died against his palm.
Outside, Patchouli jumped at the sound, whirling around—
'Who attacked—?!' The empty hallway answered her. Her pupils shrank.
'...She walked right into it.' Before she could react, the empathy link flared to life.
Something slid under her nightgown—
"Nngh—?!" She barely muffled her gasp.
Then, out of nowhere—
THUD.
A headbutt to the soul left her reeling.
"Ugh~..." Inside the room, Marisa whimpered, clutching her skull.
"Marisa. What exactly are you planning at this hour?"
"Mmph! Mmmph—mmrgh!" She shook her head wildly, but Rin 's fingers danced down her waist—
The great thief melted, her legs locking around him on reflex.
Feeling the murderous aura radiating off him, Marisa gulped. But then she remembered her deal with Suika.
After a moment's hesitation... she squeezed. Outside, Patchouli's entire body locked up—