"Mmm!! Mmph—mmgh~"
A terrified whimper echoed through the dimly lit room.
A figure, almost completely bound like a zongzi, wriggled frantically on the floor, desperately trying to escape.
But before she could crawl far, a hand effortlessly yanked her back.
Clack—
As the interrogation lamp flickered on, the struggling girl instinctively squeezed her eyes shut against the harsh brightness.
Under the dim yellow light, her elegant and delicate face was already covered with fear, and her short, neatly trimmed black hair was now a complete mess.
Once she finally adjusted to the brightness, she saw the graceful figure silently appearing before her. The sight sent her into an even wilder frenzy.
No matter how much she flailed, the ropes binding her showed no signs of loosening. In fact, their special structure only made them tighten further.
Her youthful body, under such circumstances, took on an oddly suggestive allure—like a delectable dish ready to be enjoyed.
"Shhh~ little tengu, have you thought it through?"
"As long as you behave and agree to my conditions, I'll let you go."
With a folded fan gently tapping on her forehead, Yukari Yakumo smiled as she asked.
Faced with this terrifying threat, Aya Shameimaru's whimpering paused. But instead of caving, her expression hardened with unwavering resolve, and she shook her head furiously in defiance.
No way. She would never change it. Even if she died, she wouldn't change it!
She and Bunbunmaru Newspaper would stand together until the end!
Seeing the little journalist's determination, Yukari's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing through her eerie violet gaze.
As if recalling something, she tapped Aya's head with her fan before leaning in and whispering in her ear—
"Do you have any idea who you've provoked?"
"Mmph?"
"Boss Rin might seem like an ordinary human, but in reality, he's a deeply hidden, sadistic black-haired demon." (T/N: So he's actually silver haired just like Rinnosuke in the RAW, since we're already deep might as well turn him just like in the previous photo?)
Aya's pupils trembled.
"You've seen that blondie in the shop, right?"
"She actually had the audacity to try and steal from the store. The boss caught her and immediately subjected her to the most severe punishment—her consciousness was nearly shattered."
"Don't be fooled by how tough she looks, seemingly able to endure and gradually adapt while looking for an opportunity to escape."
"But in truth, that's all part of the boss's plan. The more she endures and adapts, the more she becomes addicted to the punishment."
"By the time she's 'able' to escape, she'll have already been reshaped into someone who can't leave the boss anymore."
Yukari spoke lightly, twirling her fan before gently poking Aya's stomach. The girl shivered violently.
She had personally witnessed Marisa being reduced to a dazed, broken state. She hadn't even been able to see how the boss's abilities worked!
An utterly unavoidable, terrifying power!
Seeing the cracks in Aya's resolve, Yukari struck while the iron was hot—
"And that purple-haired one who just arrived today..."
"They only met on the first day, yet the boss was already taken with her beauty. Using sinister methods, he brought her back to the store."
"To prevent her from escaping, he even locked her up with chains, just waiting for a moment when no one was around to thoroughly train and toy with her."
"The scene… was utterly brutal. Tsk tsk tsk..."
Aya's pupils trembled violently. Even without Yukari continuing, she could already imagine the unspeakable horrors that took place in that general store at night.
'So evil. Too evil!!'
"Now, think about it—if you publish any information about the boss in your newspaper, and he finds out..."
"Oh my, what would happen?"
"Let me take a guess—hmm, you'd probably end up just like this, tied up tightly, locked away in a dark little room, and trained until you break."
Noooo! Okay, okay, I'll change it!!
The bottom line could… drop just a little bit more, right?
Tears nearly burst from Aya's eyes. She was still an innocent young girl, unfit to handle such horrifying mental stress!
"So, what do you say? Ready to cooperate properly now?"
Yukari asked again with a sweet smile. This time, Aya stopped struggling and obediently nodded.
"Good girl. Now, hand over what you wrote—I'll help you revise it."
"Uuu—"
As the two reached an agreement, on the other side of the shop, Rin suddenly felt a strong chill run down his spine.
Rubbing his itchy nose, he glanced suspiciously at Marisa, who was absentmindedly helping with the chores.
"You're not secretly plotting something bad, are you?"
"???"
Marisa, in the middle of washing vegetables, froze and stared at him blankly.
How did he know?
After hesitating for a moment, she decided to test the waters—
"Boss, I think, uh… Reimu might have eaten a little too much today."
"Most of the pickled chicken feet were devoured by her alone. If the shop suffers major losses today, she's definitely the main culprit."
"So, you should punish her really hard later. But after that, you can't punish me, okay?"
"..."
Rin twitched at the corner of his eye. After a few seconds of silence, he pointed toward the kitchen door.
"For the record—Reimu heard every single word you just said."
Marisa's pupils shrank. Trembling, she turned her head to look—
Reimu was standing at the door, silently staring at her.
The moment their eyes met, the battle erupted instantly.
"Marisa! I swear I'm gonna kill you!!"
"I was helping you advertise, and this is how you repay me?!"
"Helping, my ass! You spent most of the time slacking off on the roadside, and people even tossed coins at you!!"
"That still counts as boosting visibility!"
…
Amid their loud bickering, the two practically wrestled their way out of the kitchen and into the store.
"What's their problem?"
Patchouli's voice chimed in from the side. After sitting at the counter all afternoon, she had finally been freed from her chains, her face still dazed.
If not for her sheer spite toward Sakuya keeping her going, she might have already collapsed.
Rin handed her a cup of warm tea to help her recover and casually replied—
"They're trying to pin the blame on someone else. By the time dinner's ready, they'll probably have a winner."
"Don't mind them. They'll settle down after a while."
"Oh, by the way—Patchouli, do you have any food preferences?"
"Tonight's dinner is hot pot. What kind of seasoning should I prepare for you?"
"Give me something mildly spicy. Back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Sakuya always worried about my health and never let me eat spicy food."
Patchouli blinked a few times, deciding to take this opportunity to indulge a little.
Rin nodded thoughtfully before calling out—
"Patchouli, go take a rest first. It'll be ready in about half an hour."
"Oh, and make sure to tell those two idiots in the courtyard—if they break anything, they're both dead tonight."
======
T/N — Should I still describe our MC as black hair or be the same hair color as Rinnosuke? I'm 100 chapters in the raw and there's still no screen time for ma boi there as far as I remember.
Let me know your opinion about it.