章 41: Tsukino’s Birthday.

In only a few seconds, the second floor had only two people left, the others either lay in a pool of blood on the ground or had already fled to request help from the district police, who arrive faster the more you pay them.

Saruko walked to Tsukino, who had caused the whole mess, her face frowning deeply underneath her mask.

"That was completely stupid of you. I thought you guys didn't want to cause a scene."

Tsukino clicked her tongue at Saruko's words, clearly not remembering anyone telling her that they didn't want to cause a scene.

Sighing, she took Saruko's mask and wore it, leaving the spikey-haired woman yelling, "What's the point of putting a mask on now?! Everyone has already seen your face!"

Tsukino shrugged, slowly walking towards the entrance of the third floor, asking, "What did my hair color look like?"

Saruko wanted to yell, but looking at Tsukino's hair, she found it changing slightly. It wasn't noticeable without closer inspection.

The black-haired woman sighed, following in silence.

'This group is filled with odd individuals... I can't believe she's been using an illusion all this time. I'm also having a hard time picturing her face.'

The woman sighed again, signaling the male announcer to act like he was caught in the crossfire.

The two ladies arrived at the third floor of the gambling den pagoda, greeted by a beautiful koto playing in the background. The place was more serene than the first two floors, with each gambling table divided by a room.

To find the person they were looking for, the two women had to open each and every door.

However, Tsukino wasn't trying to be discreet like the Zaha organization. Storing her blades, a beam of pink light escaped from her palms, shooting all over the gambling den and sinking it to the ground in an instant.

Saruko wanted to protest, but she found herself buried in the rubble and could only consider herself lucky she wasn't found out by the woman standing in front of Tsukino with a huge scowl on her face.

Hina, the gambling queen, yelled, "I don't remember Sumi-sama or I doing anything to you!"

Tsukino cut her off, snickering, "Does a robbery need justification? You might as well surrender now!"

Hina wanted to refute those words, but one of her subordinates yelled from one of the compartments still standing;

"Hina-sama! All our storage safes with Kojin and Tama have suddenly vanished!"

Hearing that, Tsukino smiled internally, 'The original plan was supposed to be Mikino-chan causing destruction to the gambling den while Sora-chan swipes away their storage, but Lucy-kun changed the attack strategy at the last minute. I never knew Sora-chan was such a handy teammate.'

Looking at Tsukino's unusually calm demeanor, Hina shuddered, stepping back a few inches from fright, yelling, "Who are you people?!"

Tsukino's cold glare landed on the athletic woman mockingly, "We're part of the Zaha organization, which works under the Shojo's orders. The gambling den, although it belonged to a branch family of the Katsuragi clan, it has hosted secret missions that threaten the Shojo's position. You're lucky we're not slaughtering your whole clan for treason."

It was midnight, but Hina found herself sweating at those cold words.

It was no secret that the Katsuragi Daimyo had been eyeing the Shojo position for some years now. They were the ones who called for assistance in the cold civil war from the great continents when the Shojo before Lila died.

When Lila came, they showered her with gifts, but to their surprise, Lila betrayed them and appointed someone else as the Shojo before she left.

However, despite knowing that the person before her belonged to an organization that took out threats for the Shojo, Hana's lips curled up slightly, joy moving into her bones.

"If Sumi-sama was here, she would be delighted to finally find dirt on the Shojo."

Tsukino couldn't help but sneer in her mind, 'She's not here because she was afraid Mikino-chan would come for her head. The match yesterday made her realize something about her cousin.'

The girl kept her thoughts to herself, hearing Hina continue, "I'll take you in alive to prove my loyalty to her and make you confess to the Shojo's crimes."

She spat, "Kill her!"

Suddenly, a group of Shinsei and samurai emerged from the rubble, charging at Tsukino without any care for their lives.

Tsukino crossed her arms, a cross-shaped Tama absorbing her Rei, the texture of her skin started to change.

Gekko no Chikara.

Tsukino's skin turned a glowing silver, and her hair turned long and bright pink, emanating an eerie aura.

However, her opponents didn't seem fazed by her transformation, using their various Tama and numbers to besiege the young girl.

Tsukino snickered coldly, using only her legs to block and attack. She sent back all the Tama-attacks and broke a few bones in the process.

In a few minutes, the attackers were more wrecked than the collapsed pagoda – the lucky ones were already dead, leaving the pain to the living ones.

This process didn't take long, and only Hina was left standing still, her mouth agape from shock. Some of the people under her were Grade 3 Tama-Artists with years of experience, but they all lost like ants.

Tsukino shrugged her off as if she wasn't there, her eyes locking onto the place Saruko was hiding, observing the fight silently.

Arriving, she raised Saruko by the hair, slapping her once, surprisingly knocking her out.

Her face cringed, thinking, 'Is it because she's afraid... or she's usually this weak?'

Tsukino didn't let it bother her. She settled her hand into her chest, feeling the soft cloud pillows before it sank into her body, but instead of coming from behind her back, it went into her primordial world, retrieving four of her Tama.

Tsukino threw Saruko's body into the rubble, "This is what you get for not cooperating when you ask for an alliance."

She turned to look at Hina, but the ebony woman had run away.

Sighing, Tsukino left for X-You Mountain. However, unlike what she expected, she didn't meet Shoji, but Lucy sitting on a tree branch, enjoying the moonlight alone.

"Have you seen Shoji?" Tsukino sighed, not hoping to get an answer.

"Turn around."

She looked startled by Lucy's calm words and turned around, not expecting much. However, she was met with the other three members of Yurei shouting;

"Happy birthday, Tsukino!"

The young girl almost teared up at this sight, her transformation fading. Her gaze landed on the banquet with only three people. It was extravagant, like an outdoor party for a queen - everything was exquisitely decorated in ancient Japanese style, with paper lanterns providing a warm light.

"You guys..." Tsukino said in a sobbing tone, wondering how they knew about her birthday, even Shoji was unaware of it.

However, the joy of finally celebrating it after three years of nearly forgetting about it overwhelmed her. Before she could jump and enjoy the party, Lucy took hold of her shoulder, gifting her a nicely wrapped box.

"Happy birthday, Tsukino."

Lucy turned around, leaving her staring at the gift. Tsukino didn't need to open it to tell they were swords, but a thought appeared in her mind;

'He must have made them himself, but why do I have a feeling that we robbed the gambling den just to throw a birthday party for me?'

She looked at Sora and Shoji, and could see them agreeing with her thought, even the now-bald Mikino seemed to agree.

She turned around, jumping onto Lucy's back, tears coming from her gray eyes. "Thank you, Lucy-san!"

Lucy's lips curled up lightly, "Get off. Don't party too late; there's a mission for you and Shoji tomorrow."

Tsukino paid a deaf ear, rubbing her forehead on his back, "Yes, sir!"

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1- Gekko no Chikara (Lunar Cycle Empowerment): This 3 circle Tama is tied to the lunar cycle, growing stronger during full moons and weaker during new moons. She can overpower everyone around her which makes her change her appearance, transfer pain to her opponents, and transfer injuries to her opponents.