Chapter 116: Chou Part 1: A Fox's Tangent

In the Chou empire, a certain pink haired girl was staring daggers at the fox masked woman before her from inside the pink rabbit suit, she had been stuffed into.

"Come on! There is nobody else here! Can't you let me out of this stupid thing?" She yelled.

"Whatever do you mean Miss Jewel Rabbit the 37th?" She responded.

"My name is Sakura and you know that!" The pink rabbit in jewelry said.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura! Ah! Here it is! It seems we did employ a girl by that name at some point, but she quit last month to pursue other goals! Come to think of it! That was the same day we hired your ancestor Miss Jewel Rabbit the 4th!" The Fox lady spoke while pretending she was looking through the company records for her.

For the last month Sakura has been made to wear a full body pink rabbit outfit after making the mistake of complaining to her devil advisor. She only wanted to do something more dignifying than seducing men on the street into entering their store.

"How is this supposed to help us raise an army?"

"An army needs funds to operate! Funds that this company will be providing!"

"We barely have any customers, and all the kids keep hassling me to play! The only thing we have accomplished so far is make me look like an idiot in public!"

"Were you expecting us to conquer a country in a day? I only know one person capable of that feat, and we aren't even close to that level of buffoonery! And besides, the army of kids outside will give us a good reputation with the public!"

"That's not what I meant! At this rate we are never going to reach our goal and I'd be willing to bet your boss wouldn't be too happy about that!"

"Sorry, but it seems like I will have to take care of this matter! Meanwhile, you can finish this paperwork in my stead!"

"What are you-?"

"MADAM! COME QUICKE!"

Before Sakura could ask what that meant, one of their employees came barging in, before dragging the fox woman out of the office. Leaving Sakura behind as they entered the browsing area of the building.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! HOW SHAMELESS CAN YOU BE?!" A woman was screaming at the shop counter, while attracting the attention of the other customers.

"Whatever is the matter, dear customer?" The fox woman spoke to the screaming woman at the counter.

"ARE YOU THE OWNER OF THIS DEPLORABLE ESTABLISHMENT?!"

"I would appreciate it dear lady, if you could refrain from slandering our shop!"

"WHAT SLANDER?! I AM MERELY SPEAKING THE TRUTH! YESTERDAY I BOUGHT THESE EARRINGS HERE AND NOW LOOK AT MY EAR!" She screamed while pointing towards the festering wound in her right earlobe.

Her earlobe had turned red and swollen. This woman was making a scene while blaming her ears condition on the earrings from this shop.

"HOW WILL YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS?! DON'T YOU KNOW BEAUTY IS EVERYTHING TO A WOMAN?! HOW WILL I EVER FIND A HUSBAND WITH THIS UGLY EAR! THIS STORE HAS RUINED MY LIFE!" The woman screamed, attracting the attention of the other customers.

Just as people started directing their looks of judgment towards the fox masked store owner, she replied.

"Dear customer! Are you certain this is the shop where you bought this earing?"

"IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?! OF COURSE I DID! CAN'T YOU SEE YOUR SHOPS EMBLEM ON THE BACK?!" She screamed, while pointing at the rabbit engraved on the back of the earrings.

"Then do you mind showing your receipt?"

"MY WHAT?"

"Dear customer! We have been receiving complaints about people forging our emblem onto counterfeit products of low quality in order to tarnish our reputation! That is why we have recently started handing out small slips of paper detailing information about the transaction as a way to confirm the validity of any products bought from this establishment! Hence, if you wish for recompensation for faulty products, we will need to see your receipt first!"

"I-I don't-!"

"If these earrings were truly bought in this store than I am sure you should have received it!"

"I was never given one!"

"Then I am afraid we cannot help you, dear customer! Have a nice day!" The fox lady said before turning to walk back to her office.

"WAIT! YOU SAID YOU ONLY STARTED DOING THIS RECENTLY?! I MUST HAVE BOUGHT THESE EARRINGS BEFORE THAT! YES, THAT MUST BE IT! I BOUGHT THESE EARRING SEVERAL WEEKS AGO!"

"Hm? But didn't you just shout to the whole room that you bought them yesterday?"

"W-Well! I must have gotten the times mixed up as I frequent this place often!" The woman said growing less confident.

"If that was the case, you surely must have at least heard about our receipt policy by now, yet you claimed otherwise!"

"Well, I! Uhm!"

"And if you have been using these earrings for several weeks then how do you know for certain they are to blame for your ear's condition? I am sure you must have swapped them out from time to time!"

"Well! I-I wasted so much on these that I had to sell off my other earrings! Yes! If not for your fraudulent prices I would have had enough to pay for my ear to be treated! You must accept responsibility for this or else I fear my ear might never return to normal!"

"Is that so? Well, if you are truly that lacking in funds, then how come you are wearing the exclusive 'silver sapphire' earrings from the 'Plum Blossom' accessory shop right across the street? They alone are sold at the price of 537 silver teals!" The store owner spoke, while pointing at the round sapphire encrusted silver earring dangling off her left earlobe.

"Uh! Well I-!"

"Or maybe the 'golden phoenix' hairpin, that is priced at 472 silver teals!" She said pointing at the woman's fancy golden hairpin.

"…!"

"Or how about the 'White Crystal' bangle, priced at 796 silver teals! All of which cost more than any item found in this shop, despite being made from lower quality material!"

"Eh! Well!" Feeling the eyes of the crowd looking at her, the woman struggled to come up with a response.

"Well, we are waiting! Surely, our dear customer isn't just here to slander our affordable high-quality products at the behest of some shameless competitor of ours?"

"What! No! I don't!"

"Now, who is the one slandering who here?" A middle-aged man covered head to toe in accessories spoke while walking into the store.

"Oh? If it isn't the owner of the 'Plum Blossom' accessory shop, Sir. Huang! Are you perhaps here to brows our wares once again?"

"I will not stand for your slander you dirty fox!"

"Whatever do you mean Sir?"

"Do you take us all for fools? We all heard you call me shameless!"

"Oh! Are you perhaps referring to my comment on the mysterious person who made these low-quality counterfeit earrings, being shameless? I knew it was someone jealous of our products, but I never thought Sir. Huang of the 'Plumb Blossom' brand would confess to being the culprit!"

"What? I never-!"

"You did just admit to being the shameless competitor in question! Or do you take us for fools!"

"Stop putting words in my mouth!"

"I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave Sir. Huang? If we at the 'Jewel Rabbit' accessory shop are to maintain our low prices, while maintaining the high standards for our wares, then we cannot afford to let our competitors steal any more of our designs from our shop!"

"WHAT? HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SUCH MISCONDUCT, WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE?! HEY! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF ME!" Mr. Huang screamed as the security guard wearing fake bunny ears dragged him out of the store.

After the man left the store, the fox lady turned to the woman who had been making a scene only moments earlier.

"Now! Dear customer! Would you perhaps be interested in our last pair of these 'Silver Sapphire' earrings!" She spoke, while pulling out an almost exact copy of the Plum Blossom earring the woman was wearing. Only this one had a rabbit emblem engraved on the back.

After showing off countless products of similar design to their competitor's most expensive products, the store owner returned to her office where she saw the store mascot struggling to do her assigned paperwork.

…

Sakura's POV:

*Snap*

"God damn it! Why won't you let me take this thing off? I can't write in this thing!" I complained to the fox masked lady who has been messing with me for several months now.

"Because I find it more entertaining to watch you struggle like this!"

"You monster! Is this all just a game to you?"

"Indeed, it is! And what a fun game it has been so far!"

"It won't be so fun, once your superior finds out you haven't been doing your job!"

"Hm? Whatever do you mean miss jewel rabbit the 37th?"

"You know damn well what I mean! The deal was that I would get to kill them with my own two hands! But at this rate, old age will kill them before I do!"

"Well, things would move a lot faster if not for these insects that keep pestering us!"

We may have only opened our shop a month ago, but in that time, we have run into any number of problems that nearly put us out of business. But each time this evil fox lady would always find some unethical way to turn the tables.

When a local gang started trashing our store for not paying their protection fee, she first had each of their homes torched, before anonymously threatening all their families and friends. Ever since, all the local ruffians have been avoiding us like the plague.

When an official threatened to revoke our sales permit, she had gotten him to back down through blackmail. She had somehow acquired evidence of a secret affair he was having and threatened to send it to his wife should he not comply with her demands.

When the 'Plum Blossom' shop had accused us of copying their design, she started doing exactly that while spreading rumors of the opposite. She would bribe the plum blossom employees into giving her details on their newest items before they were revealed to the public. She would then make a handful of high-quality counterfeits that she could display in the shop on the same day as the plum blossom shop did. Meanwhile, she has been peddling a bunch of her poorly made versions through unofficial channels as a way of discrediting her competitor in her long-time scheme to ruin his reputation by framing him as the culprit.

"It's not my fault pests keep appearing everywhere! I am sure my liege would understand! Right?" The fox woman spoke in an uncertain tone.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that! He said he wanted us to be ready by this winter, and at the speed we are going I don't see that happening!" I spoke.

Last winter I had made a deal with a handsome devil, who promised to help me take my revenge on the people who wronged me. However, instead of helping me himself, he put me in the care of this demon disguised as a woman with a strange name.

In the time we have spent together, I have come to realize that there is only one thing that can rein in this woman, and that is the words of her master. Whenever a problem arises, she would lose track of our original goal to pursue that instead. If not for my constant reminders of her master's orders, the city guards would likely be looking for a serial arsonist right about now as she was originally planning to include the gangsters' loved ones in her fire show over the course of this month.

"I guess it can't be helped then! It is a bit ahead of schedule, but it seems we have no other choice!" She said as she handed me a document she had hidden up her sleeve.

"What is this?"

"It was going to be the start of the dummy corporation I was planning to use against the insect across the street, but not anymore! Instead, we will use this opportunity to expand our brand! I hope you don't mind working double shifts?"

"WHAT?! I DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS!"

"To bad!"

"BUT I ALREADY WORK 9 HOURS A DAY!"

"As the one in charge of your deal, I command you to do as I say!"

"God damn it! Fine, but you better stop playing around or I'll tell your boss next time I see him!" I spoke, while feeling this irresistible impulse to obey.

"Hmph! As if it matters! My liege won't care what I do, as long as I do what is asked of me!"