"Uh, she said Herrscher of Reason was just a codename, like Agent 007."
"I see."
"We can talk about the rest later. Right now, you're the only ones who can help me."
Hearing this, Wise calmly asked,
"Why not go to the Hollow Investigation Association?"
"I... don't want the Association keeping an eye on me for now. If they find out we're Hollow Raiders, we're done for."
"Besides, even half our assets wouldn't be enough to satisfy those greedy bastards! I can't just abandon my employees, can I?"
"Abandoning your employees... sounds pretty in character for you, Nicole."
Nicole immediately retorted to Wise's teasing.
"Hey, don't slander me! I set aside a huge portion of our revenue for the [Employee Accident Relief Budget]!"
"Anyway, my request is simple. Bring my people and the client's belongings safely out of the Hollow."
"A standard Proxy job. You're not turning it down, are you, Little Nantong—no, Phaethon?"
Hearing that, Wise and Belle exchanged glances, then looked at Nicole speechlessly.
"Just because of that comment, I feel like we should reconsider for now."
"W-Wait, I didn't mean to! Why did I say that?"
"Besides, Belle, aren't you a girl?"
Wise's mouth twitched. He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"So you mean I'm Nantong?"
"H-Hey, no, no, that's not what I meant, ah—!"
"Fine, fine, my mistake, okay? As long as you take this job, I can pay off all my previous debts."
"I seem to remember you saying that last time too, but you only had enough money to repay one debt."
"Come on, this time's different! The reward is extremely generous. I'll give you half, okay?"
"Deal. That's what I was waiting to hear. What do you say, bro?"
"In that case, we'll take it."
"Great. No time to waste, let's go! I'll wait for you in the Hollow."
Before long, Nicole headed into the Hollow with Eous.
Belle and Wise hurried to calibrate the HDD system as well.
Some time later.
"Hello? Your little guy has arrived."
Nicole spoke with Wise over the phone.
"Mm. Belle, begin."
As Belle began linking with Eous, Nicole pulled out a bomb resembling a Poké Ball from behind her.
Then she walked into the Hollow.
Taixu Mountain, at the foot of the mountain.
Hoshimi Miyabi looked at the drastically changed foothills and was somewhat amazed.
"As expected of Teacher.
Even in a place like the Outer Ring, which could turn into a Hollow at any moment, he could make it this prosperous."
"Then, so I can cultivate in peace this time, all of Section 6's assignments for the coming week have been handled."
A smile curled across her lips as Hoshimi Miyabi gripped her sword and began climbing the mountain.
Janus, 14th Street, inside the Hollow.
At that moment, a distinctly laid-back tune began playing.
The Herrscher of Reason, Anby, and Billy were squatting outside a convenience store.
Between them was a grill that had come from who knew where.
On it, the Herrscher of Reason leisurely grilled meat skewers.
She even had a sandwich stuffed in her mouth.
"Don't you two want some?"
She looked at the two opposite her in confusion.
"Ahaha, I-I'm a robot. A little oil is enough for me. Please, enjoy yourself."
Anby swallowed.
"I'm not hungry yet. I'll pass for now."
It was obvious Anby wanted to eat, but they were in a Hollow, and the food had more or less been corrupted.
What if they turned into Ethereals after eating it?
But seeing the Herrscher of Reason eat with such relish, the two began to wonder if she was even human.
Not only had she taken a missile head-on, she was now stuffing herself with corrupted food.
And nothing was happening to her.
Billy's facial components twitched as he flipped through the reports about Oh~ Sweetheart in his hands.
"By the way, Ms. Herrscher of Reason, is it really okay for us to be this relaxed?"
"What are you afraid of? Don't we have bodyguards?"
Anby and Billy turned toward the distance, where a group of Ethereals stood guard.
If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author. Maybe it was just renamed!
No one knew whether their brains had short-circuited or what, but they had completely stopped attacking them.
Just then, Eous toddled out from a nearby alley.
It was startled by the sight before it.
"What's going on?! Why—"
Hearing his sister's cry, Wise set down his phone and leaned over to look.
"What is it, Belle? Are they in dang—are they being a little too relaxed?"
"No, what is going on? Why are the Ethereals acting as their bodyguards?"
Belle's cry came through Eous.
Hearing her voice, Billy rose from his lounge chair, folded up the newspaper, and stretched.
"Ohhh~ It's Phaethon. Boss Nicole really did bring reinforcements."
Wiping her mouth, Little Herrscher kicked the grill away, then flashed over and squatted in front of Eous.
She asked suspiciously,
"So this is the legendary Proxy you mentioned, Phaethon?"
"W-Wow~ You're Ms. Herrscher of Reason, right?"
"That's right, it's me! The great Ms. Herrscher of Reason!"
Anby stood up and walked over to report as well.
"Current status is good. Ammunition reserves are sufficient. Proxy, when are we leaving?"
"Well, haha, why does it feel like you don't need rescuing?"
"No, we definitely need rescuing. Right now, I'm hungry enough to eat eight burgers."
"This way. We'll be there soon."
The three of them and one Bangboo packed up and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, Billy seemed to have forgotten something.
His body stiffened, and he pointed toward the sky.
"Ohoho~ I forgot something important. Wait for me."
With that, he quickly ran back to the convenience store from before.
He smashed the display case with his gunstock and took out the Star Knight figurine inside.
"Hehe~ I almost forgot you, my little darling."
Turning around, he left while holding his beloved figurine, completely ignoring the safe lying quietly nearby.
Outside the Hollow.
Seeing the three return, Nicole hurriedly said happily,
"Thank goodness—you're finally back."
After going up to hug Anby, Nicole looked around.
"Eh, where's the safe?"
"Yeah, where's the safe? Wasn't Billy carrying it?"
In an instant, everyone's gaze focused on Billy.
He calmly pulled the figurine out from behind his back.
"How could I possibly forget it? Hehe—!!!
Ah, it's the discontinued supreme edition of the limited third-anniversary Star Knight figurine!"
"So the safe didn't come out with you..."
"Report, Nicole. When we were resting outside the convenience store, Billy kept blushing while reading the newspaper.
The safe seemed to be right beside his feet."
"...Bil—ly!!!!"
"I'm sorry! Boss Nicole, I was wrong—!"
"Phew, forget it. It's enough that you all returned safely. We'll talk about the safe later."
Seeing that things were more or less settled, the Herrscher of Reason spoke.
"Nicole, let me use your phone. I need to call Old Fossil."
"Okay, here."
After Nicole handed over the phone, the Herrscher of Reason fiddled with it and connected the call.
"Hey, Old Fossil, I handled Nicole's problem! It went incredibly smoothly. So, how was that?"
"Good work, Little Herrscher. Wait, Miyabi, go a little lighter with your technique. That's too hard."
"Understood, Teacher. I will."
Crack—
"My phone!!!!"
Anby, Billy, and Belle watched the Herrscher of Reason sprint away.
They paid absolutely no attention to Nicole, who was squatting nearby and crying while clutching her phone.
"What did Ah Hua say? Why was Ms. Herrscher of Reason in such a hurry?"
"No idea. I'm guessing she called her home for dinner."
Anby nodded in agreement.
Eating really was important—
Before you continue