Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

"We're sorry, ma'am!"

…*Ma'am… whatever.* Ignoring the odd address, [Elysia] pointed a slender finger at the bruised and kneeling thugs, adopting a menacing expression.

"If I catch you again, it won't be this easy!"

"We'll never do it again!"

*Yeah, right.* Jiang Qiao didn't believe a word.

"Honestly, forcing me to resort to violence…" She sighed dramatically, watching the thugs scramble away.

Then, turning to the dazed boy still sitting on the ground, she said softly, "Alright, get up."

Kosma, pulled to his feet, looked bewildered. "Just letting them go?"

Jiang Qiao shrugged. "Not much else I can do."

The thugs hadn't committed any major crimes. Even if they were arrested, they'd probably be out in a few days, especially with their likely connections to the local authorities. While jail time would be a lesson, it would be too much trouble for *him*.

Jiang Qiao had entered New Zealand illegally. Dealing with law enforcement was something to avoid.

"Unless you want me to kill them. I won't do it myself, though." [Elysia] offered a chilling alternative, startling Kosma.

He wanted to punish them, yes, but not… *permanently*. And this cute girl… she was kind of terrifying.

"Don't look at me like that. I've never killed anyone… probably." She thought about the people who'd "fallen" in Nagazora and the Second Herrscher… well, the former had been suicides, and the latter… wasn't human!

Her vague answer made Kosma take a few steps back.

"…"

"Come on, a cute girl like me would never do that." [Elysia] patted his head reassuringly.

This was precisely why he'd chosen Sakura. While Jiang Qiao wasn't averse to bloodshed, he preferred to keep [Elysia]'s hands clean. He had to answer to the body's owner, after all.

"...You're really amazing." Relieved by her seemingly genuine expression, Kosma couldn't help but voice his admiration, his eyes shining.

Taking down those thugs so easily… that was something out of a movie or comic! If he weren't wary, and if [Elysia]'s identity weren't so mysterious, he might have begged her to take him as a student. If he could learn her skills, becoming a hero would be within reach!

"Hmm~ Amazing, right?" [Elysia] preened, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Like a tempting fairy, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper.

"Want to learn?"

"Yes!"

"Oh dear, I can't quite hear you."

"YES!!"

"Louder?"

"YES!!!" Kosma's face flushed red.

"Good, very energetic!" The pink-haired girl nodded approvingly, then puffed out her chest, adopting a teacher-like stance. "Then, let me teach you how to be a proper girl!!"

"Okay…?" He started to agree, then froze, confusion and disbelief clouding his features as he met Jiang Qiao's beaming smile.

"Hmm~ To become as amazing as *me*, the first step is to learn how to be a girl~"

"...(Is she serious?)" Looking at [Elysia]'s earnest expression, Kosma wondered if she was messing with him.

The image of the amazing, admirable stranger he'd just witnessed crumbled under the weight of this… *teaching method*. He felt a surge of wariness. While he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, his instincts screamed danger.

"Sorry, I have to go! Something came up at home!" Without hesitation, Kosma fled.

[Elysia] stared after him, then pouted. "Maybe I was too forward."

She had envisioned turning the "hero"-aspiring Kosma into a "fairy"-aspiring Kosma. That would have been entertaining.

Oh well. It seemed she'd failed.

But it didn't matter. Jiang Qiao had plenty of patience for these kinds of things.

…But… she felt like she'd forgotten something. What was it?

[Elysia] stroked her chin, then gave up. It was more important to get to the Fourth Research Department!

Stepping out of the alley, she finally realized the crucial issue.

Where's the money?

…

The boat trip was incredibly dull. Even with Bronya's games, Elysia wasn't a gamer, especially since Bronya consistently crushed her. Thankfully, she had the mostly-silent chat group to keep her entertained.

Hu Tao, for instance, had apparently acquired a similarly energetic girl as a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, much like Mr. Zhongli.

Yunyun was complaining about running into her childhood friend, who'd teamed up with a weird, sadistic guy. Lacking teammates, she was trying to recruit from the group.

Scrolling through the chat logs, Elysia rested her head on a pillow, wondering what that jerk, Jiang Qiao, was up to. Exhaustion finally claimed her, and she drifted off to sleep.

In her dream, she saw a cute girl…

—Tied up and… well, let's just say it involved ropes.