Even though Sam Li had just joined the Hare's House, he quickly settled in.
Having saved Anby from the Hollows helped break the ice, and with Nicole and Billy being so enthusiastic, getting used to the place was easy.
Discussing how to swindle potential clients with Nicole...
Talking about firearms and the Starfall Knights with Billy...
Debating what to have for dinner with Anby...
At the sa ti, Sam Li also confird what he had suspected all along—the agency wasn't nearly as bad as the rumors made it out to be.
Nicole, while undeniably cunning and stingy, took good care of her employees. Anby and Billy were proof of that.
Billy was a chatterbox of a robot, full of exaggerated antics and a flair for the dramatic, but at his core, he was righteous and always willing to help.
Anby, in contrast, was reserved and seed disinterested in most things, but she was also the calst and most composed mber of the agency.
However…
Whenever the topic of the past ca up, all three of them would fall silent.
It was written on their faces—whether it was Nicole, Billy, or Anby, they were all carrying sothing heavy, sothing they hadn't let go of.
As soone who had played Zhongli, Sam Li understood this feeling well.
So instead of prying, he shifted the conversation to lighter topics—things like the city of New Eridu, Ether energy, and the nature of the Withering Ones.
On these subjects, Nicole was practically a walking encyclopedia.
"You're still new to this business, so you don't fully grasp just how terrifying the Hollows and the Withering Ones can be. Once you beco a veteran agent like us, you'll understand. The higher-class Withering Ones? Even the Public Security Bureau and the Special Task Force for Hollow Affairs struggle to deal with them…"
From there, Nicole launched into a crash course, explaining various industry terms:
What it ant to be an Agent, what a Proxies was, how commissions worked…
Halfway through, she sighed, realizing that Sam Li was practically a blank slate when it ca to this world.
"You don't even know about Ether energy or the history of New Eridu… Did you even go to elentary school?"
She really couldn't figure it out.
How did soone who knew nothing—not even what a bangboo was—Nekomatage to lead Anby out of the Hollows?
What a lucky guy.
"Forget it. You're clearly not cut out for fighting Withering Ones. No point explaining all this. Focus on learning how to bring in clients—that's what really matters."
...
That night, to welco Sam Li and help him integrate into the agency, Nicole—for the first ti ever—decided to cook.
She even dragged Anby into the kitchen, and together, they made hotpot.
"Wow, Boss Nicole, this is a feast!"
"Hmph, of course! If I don't feed you properly, who's going to work for tomorrow?"
"Sam Li, how's the taste?"
"Not bad. Quite good, actually."
The four of them sat around the table, eating and chatting—when suddenly, the lights went out.
Nicole got up to check.
It turned out the electricity had run out again, despite her having just paid the bill.
"Anby, there's a cable behind the door. I went through a lot of trouble pulling it from next door this morning. Hook it up to our main power switch."
"Got it."
"As expected of Boss Nicole. Free electricity from now on!"
Soon, the power was back.
Nicole picked up her chopsticks, ready to continue eating—only to notice an empty bottle sitting on the table.
"…Billy. That was your three-day supply. Did you just chug it all during the blackout?"
Billy panicked. "It wasn't —!"
Before he could even finish, Nicole's chopsticks flew straight at his face.
"That was a bottle of lubricant. Who else but you would drink sothing that slimy?!"
"Boss Nicole, I was wrong!"
"..."
And so, another normal, peaceful day passed at the Hare's House.
As he watched Nicole chasing Billy around, Sam Li calmly picked up a slice of beef, placed it in his mouth, and enjoyed the flavor.
At the sa ti, he couldn't help but marvel—
This place really was perfect for a laid-back life.
While the mbers of the Hare's House were gathered around, enjoying a peaceful dinner…
On the other side of New Eridu.
Inside the Special Operations Departnt for Hollow Affairs, the night was deep, yet the various divisions remained busy with their work.
Hoshimi Miyabi and Soukaku had just returned from Twelfth Street. Without even stopping to log their mission, they went straight to the research lab, causing quite a stir among the other divisions.
"What's going on? Section Chief Miyabi looks serious. Did sothing go wrong in the Hollows?"
"No way. That was just a newly ford Hollow—full of low-level Withering Ones. Even if they all attacked at once, they wouldn't stand a chance against Section Chief Miyabi."
"I heard from a friend at the Security Bureau that sothing bizarre happened during their mission today. The mont Section Chief Hoshimi Miyabi and Soukaku arrived at Twelfth Street, a teorite suddenly fell from the sky and wiped out most of the Withering Ones in an instant. Before Miyabi could even lift a finger, the Hollow imdiately entered its decline phase…"
"In all of New Eridu's history, that's probably the shortest-lived Hollow ever!"
"I get it now. But if that's the case, shouldn't Miyabi be happy? She didn't even have to fight."
"Who knows? Did you see those big crates she brought back? Maybe she found sothing valuable in the Hollow…"
"We're not treasure hunters, you know…"
...
The gossip spread quickly, but no one could guess what was inside the crates.
So speculated it was a live Withering One…
Others said it was a Golden Bangboo…
A few even joked that it was just Soukaku's dinner, considering her huge appetite.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been nothing more than a minor incident.
But in the Special Operations Departnt, anything related to Hoshimi Miyabi—no matter how trivial—was bound to attract widespread attention.
By nightfall, rumors about the mysterious crates had already made their rounds through the various divisions.
...
anwhile, in the research lab of the Special Operations Departnt—
Hoshimi Miyabi, Soukaku, and a tall, purple-haired scientist were gathered, all eagerly examining the crates on the floor.
The scientist, curiosity shining in her eyes, asked, "Miyabi, is this the 'good stuff' you ntioned?"
Hoshimi Miyabi corrected her.
"It's Withering One remains."
After discovering an unknown anomaly near the teorite's impact site, she and Soukaku had spent hours scouring the Hollow in Twelfth Street.
Yet, despite all their searching, they were unable to pinpoint the exact source of the anomaly.
In the end, their only lead was these Withering One remains, which had sohow turned to stone.
Their plan? Have the research division analyze them—figure out why the remains had undergone this transformation and what was causing the mysterious energy fluctuations.
Before long, the scientist bent down and excitedly pried open one of the crates.
The mont she saw the piles of crystallized fragnts inside, her eyes lit up—as if she had just discovered an entirely new world.
"Fascinating… Miyabi, it looks like you really brought back sothing valuable this ti."
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