She didn't believe that guy would ever get the short end of the stick.
Seeing Hoshimi Miyabi like that, it was likely she'd been given some "special treatment"...
After saying goodbye to the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6, the people from Hare's House also took their leave. They needed to go over the damage reports with Harumasa and handle reimbursements.
After that, they still had to rush back and finish compiling materials for their lawsuit.
Even though they'd made a tidy profit through reimbursement from the Hollow Special Operations Unit 6, Nicole had no plans to offer a discount on this job's commission.
Her logic? Sure, they'd had a feast today, but you still need to eat your daily steamed buns!
Nicole wouldn't even let a mosquito-sized payment from Dennies slide—let alone the full commission for this case.
After transferring the commission fee to Hare's House's account, both parties said their goodbyes. Belle then formally handed over the commission to Ray.
"The moment I saw you, I knew that this so-called 'assessment' wouldn't be a problem."
Inside the tent, Ray looked up at Belle and spoke softly. Then she smiled, a bit admiringly.
"But I honestly didn't expect you to make it through Nineveh's attack unscathed, let alone assist the Anti-Hollow Division in a special op."
"Even though the 'assessment' was cut short, just helping suppress Nineveh is enough to prove your qualifications."
"A commendation from an Anti-Hollow Division executive holds more weight than any notes scribbled down by an Association examiner."
Belle felt a little embarrassed listening to that.
When it came to Nineveh's suppression, she didn't do much—just led the way. The people she brought didn't contribute much either.
But thinking about it… Zane was part of the investigation team. He must've played a major role in the fight.
So in that sense, Ray's praise wasn't totally misplaced.
"By the way, what exactly is Nineveh?"
Belle thought back to the towering figure and the pillar of light shooting into the sky. Curiosity got the better of her.
"Nineveh? She's been the focus of my recent research… I mean, the academy's latest core project is the study of 'mutually beneficial symbiotic Ethereal clusters'—that's Nineveh."
Seeing Belle's interest, Ray began to explain.
Mutually beneficial symbiotic Ethereals?
Belle recalled the Ethereals that surrounded Nineveh and started to understand.
"You probably already know that eliminating clusters and high-risk Ethereals can suppress—or even 'eradicate'—a Hollow's expansion," Ray continued.
"The closest district to here is the Janus District. You came from there, right?"
"You're probably aware of the Cretan Hollow's disappearance. Many within the academy believe it vanished because the core Ethereals were completely annihilated."
"For various reasons—some beyond our control—it's nearly impossible to 'erase' a Hollow of Cretan's size. It's happened so rarely in history. But…"
Ray looked at Belle and gave a sly smile.
"Remember when I said that if you delivered my precious observational data intact, I'd treat you like my 'dearest partner'?"
"Well, here's a secret."
She leaned in close to Belle's ear and whispered,
"The events surrounding the Cretan Hollow… are connected to that Fire Picker everyone's been talking about lately."
Back at her desk, Ray glanced up, expecting to see Belle's shocked reaction—but found her surprisingly calm. She raised an eyebrow.
Wow… this team leader has nerves of steel.
What Ray didn't know was that Belle's mind was completely unfazed.
Not only did she know the Cretan Hollow's disappearance was related to the Fire Picker—she was the one who led him there to track down the core Ethereal.
She knew the Fire Picker's real identity.
She also knew the Cretan Hollow hadn't vanished—it was in his hands now.
That was her and Zane's little secret.
"Back to the point. Nineveh displays traits of both an Ethereal cluster and a high-risk individual. That makes her the primary target in the Zero Hollow investigation. Her unique ecology holds immense research value."
"Unfortunately… we still know very little about her."
Ray rested her hands on the desk. The mechanical arms on her back twitched slightly as she smiled again.
"In any case, congratulations on passing the 'assessment.' The official qualification documents will be sent over later."
"Pleasure working with you. I look forward to seeing what you do next."
With that, the outpost mission came to an end...
...
Belle left the tent with Eous. After taking a few turns, she looked up—and her eyes lit up.
"Zane! You're back!"
"Huh? What kind of tone is that? Sounds like you thought I wasn't coming back..."
Zane tilted his head, a bit annoyed.
"Hehe, nooo, I just thought maybe you'd stay in Hollow Zero a little longer…"
Belle scratched her cheek and smiled sheepishly, realizing her assumption.
After all, Hollow Zero was massive—and packed with Ethereals…
"Oh, oh! Zane! Tell me how the fight went! I didn't get to see it—it's such a shame!"
Belle had always been curious about these things. Now that the man himself was here, of course she wasn't going to miss her chance.
If she couldn't witness it herself, she'd just have to imagine it from his story!
As Belle eagerly listened to Zane recount what had happened, Wise finally arrived—late—after rushing over in worry for Belle...
...
"Miyabi… that must be Hoshimi Miyabi."
"Little sister, you really need to be careful. Kyuushou's at the top. Dealing with people like that…"
In the video store, Wise was going on and on while talking to Belle.
She hugged a pillow and sat on the sofa, seriously listening to him.
That kind of care from family—she really appreciated it.
But her mind wandered a little.
Hearing her brother talk about things like "powerful," "dangerous," and "be cautious," Belle couldn't help but recall Zane's attitude when he talked about Hoshimi Miyabi.
From his perspective… Miyabi came across as just "meh."
Honestly, it was a bit odd…
...
At Tanukki House, Zane slowly woke up.
He blinked drowsily, rubbed his eyes, and looked around—cats everywhere: on him, beside the bed, near his pillow, by his legs.
He let out a quiet sigh.
These guys...
"Zane!"
Swish!
A cold, crystalized Ether dagger was suddenly pressed against Nekomata's neck. She tilted her head slightly, both tails raised, fur bristling in alarm.
Seriously—just a little more, and she would've been knocking on death's door!
Who was scaring who here, huh!?
Zane blinked, recognized her, and quickly made the dagger vanish.
"Sorry, sorry—instinctive reaction."
He admitted—yeah, for a split second, she did startle him.