Spring Dragon Body Pillows

"Hey, Yuusei, when were you gonna tell me about this?"

He turned to her as he spoke, "Tell you about what..." Then stopped when he saw what she brought into the agency.

"Kalianne."

"Hm?"

"What is that."

"Can't you tell?" She replied, shoulders shaking as she struggled to hold back laughter. "It's a Limited Edition Seiryu Body Pillow, of course!"

Yuusei blinked, then approached her as if she was holding a piece of alien technology.

Denial

"... No."

She snorted, clutching the pillow tighter to not burst into giggles. "N-No?"

He shook his head, frowning. "This isn't a thing. I didn't make any sponsorship deals, much less for a product like that."

He poked his pictured face, not hidden behind his usual metal mask, but a white cloth. The Seiryu in the picture wasn't wearing his costume at all.

"I'm an underground hero. How is this picture even available?"

Kalianne recognized the clothing. It was an outfit he had worn at a festival last year. A blend of white, gold, and violet that somehow complemented his blue hair and made his red eyes stand out more.

"Where did you find this thing? Did you commission it or something?"

"Hehe... not quite what I meant by Limited Edition. Look, look!"

Hugging the pillow with a single arm, she pulled out her phone and stepped by his side, showing him the shop where she bought the pillow.

"7000 yen...? Only 19 units left...?" He muttered to himself, eyes losing their luster.

Oh, damn. In Kalianne's mind, the chances of him knowing about it were 50/50, but she hadn't expected it to affect him so much.

"Cheer up, Yuusei! That just means your fanbase is devoted."

Anger

He pulled away from her phone, groaning. "I shouldn't have a fanbase. Again, underground hero."

He turned to her, eyes narrowing. "Wait, did you seriously spend 7000 yen on this?"

She shrugged. "My salary, my rules."

"You could have sent me the link. It would deal the same damage to my sanity."

Bargaining

"... Unless... there is no shop. This is all a prank from you, isn't it?"

Sensing his violent intent towards the pillow, Kalianne held it away from Yuusei. He stepped forward, and she retreated in response, moving in sync with him.

"Don't shoot the messenger!" She said, shaking the pillow side to side to avoid his grasp.

"I just want a better look," He said, bad liar that he was.

"Don't rip the message either!"

The amount it cost meant nothing to him, but it was a hefty investment for someone like her. What could she say? She was committed to the bit.

Kalianne gasped as something wrapped around her waist. Yuusei lifted her up with his tail and seized the pillow from her, analyzing it.

She crossed her arms, glowering at him. "Not cool."

He nodded. "Yes, image theft is rather distasteful."

"I mean it, Yuusei. Let me down."

He obliged, then rose a hand to block a jab to his shoulder.

"I'll try to access the shop from my own phone. Look up the manufacturer, too," He mused, leaning to the left to dodge another punch.

She wasn't trying to hurt him seriously. It was just a bit of play-fighting to distract him from this phone and her from the growing realization that this was actually a big deal for him. What was he going to do when he found his answers? Had she kickstarted a lawsuit between the Spring Dragon Agency and a random e-shop?

Suddenly, Yuusei stopped, and she halted her fist, leaving it inches away from his cheek.

Depression

"..."

He showed his phone to her, but she already knew what lay there. The same webpage on her phone.

The Seiryu Body Pillow was real.

"Why me?" He asked, and Kalianne knew the question wasn't meant for her.

It didn't mean she wouldn't try to cheer up her boss, though.

She stopped making a fist and softly patted him on the cheek.

"Someone out there must really like you... or really hate you," She concluded, nodding wistfully.

Acceptance

Yuusei hummed, closing the shop. There was no fight left in him.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention... although I could have done without your amusement."

pat pat

"Haha, sorry. But to be fair, when I got here, I really thought there was a chance you knew about it and didn't tell me."

"Do I look like the type to get and accept body pillow merch deals?"

She looked away from him, sticking out her tongue and trying to make herself look innocent.

"What the hell, Kalianne."

"I dunno..." She drawled out. "You do have the vibe of someone with a secret freaky side."

He threw the pillow at her face. Yet he didn't deny it, which was as concerning as it was funny.

"Well, this isn't how I wanted to spend my week... but now I have to hire a lawyer for this agency. Maybe one of my family's will accept the offer."

She swung the fluffy Seiryu at the real one's ribs. "A lawyer to shut it down... or to get a part of the profits for us?"

Maybe she could get a merch line for herself? She was his number one sidekick, after all!

Yuusei pinched the bridge of his nose. "To shut it down."

"Huh. Good luck with that, then."

He glanced at her, mouth parting slightly in confusion "... Where are you taking that thing?"

She paused one step away from the staircase leading to the ground floor. "Eh? I'm putting it back home. I paid good money for this, yknow? No way I'm throwing it away."

She winked at him. "Besides practical jokes, I can still use it for other stuff."

"..."

Yuusei looked as if he was debating whether to ask about the other stuff before closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. Smart choice.

He looked at her. "Be back for afternoon patrol."

She gave him a mocking salute, making the body pillow stand at attention with her. "Sure thing, boss!"

Overall, it wasn't even near any of her worst purchases.