"We're here, Nekomata! This is your new home!"
As Nicole spoke, he deftly unlocked the door to the Cunning Hares' base (a rented house) with his key, letting the excited, thrilled Nekomata go in first.
Nekomata: "Hey~ Ta-da! The cat king has arrived!"
She was answered by the pop of party poppers hidden beside the doorway, followed by applause.
Billy: "Welcome, new member!!!"
Amillion: "En-na, en-na!!"
Anby: "Welcome."
Billy tossed aside the party popper he had just fired and clapped enthusiastically with Anby, while Amillion stood beside them holding up a banner that read "Welcome."
"Hehe, hello, everyone! I'm looking forward to working with you, meow~!"
With a backpack on her back, Nekomata happily greeted her future companions before taking a careful look around.
The space was a little cramped, and paint had peeled off in plenty of places on the walls, but it was all right; the furniture was a little drab, and much of it had been patched up, but it was all right; a large wealth-attracting poster hung on the wall, and the floor was quite tidy, all of which was all right. There was a piece of paper on the floor, though. At a glance, it seemed to be an IO...
"Come on, Nekomata, let me show you your room first, and then we'll take care of the onboarding paperwork..."
Nicole kept ushering Nekomata inside, almost imperceptibly kicking the IOU accidentally left out on the floor under the couch.
Billy quietly took out the broom and dustpan behind him and cleaned up the streamers from the party poppers.
Anby sat back down on the couch to continue watching the movie rented from the video-store siblings, feeling it was a bit of a shame that the pair neglected their proper business and never brought in any new stock.
As for Amillion, whose presence barely registered, he went through the motions before scampering outside to play with the other Bangboo.
After cleaning the floor, Billy seemed to remember something and leaned close to Anby's ear to ask quietly:
"Hey, Anby, aren't you curious about something?"
Anby, who had just opened a bag of potato wedges, asked, "What?"
For some reason, Billy rubbed his palms together and said:
"It's about Boss Nicole and the boss's dad! Ever since Boss Nicole acknowledged his dad that time, we haven't really talked to Boss Nicole about any of that, have we?"
Anby: "Mm, so?"
Billy: "I just wanted to see whether you had any of the same thoughts as me!"
Anby ate a potato wedge and said, "If you're curious about something, why not just ask Nicole?"
Billy: "But I'm scared to ask all by myself."
Anby: "Then what do you want to ask Nicole?"
Billy: "Nothing much. Aren't you curious why, with such a powerful big shot for a dad, she came out to do this illegal, dangerous Hollow Raider work, and stuff like that?"
As he spoke, Billy dragged both palms down his cheeks, twisting his body like a wave as he continued:
"But! I'm afraid if I just ask outright, Boss Nicole might get mad at me because of something in her past. After all, she didn't look like she wanted to tell us about her dad before."
Still poker-faced, Anby ate her potato wedges and said, "I will not participate in an operation to gain an in-depth understanding of 'Nicole's family affairs.' Also, stop bothering me."
Billy: "Aah→ aah↘, Anby, aren't you curious at all? Not even a teensy bit? Or..."
"If you keep bothering me, I'll report your current attempted invasion of personal information to Nicole."
That remark from Anby immediately shut the babbling Billy up.
Billy poked his fingers together and muttered, "If you're not curious, you're not curious. You make me sound like some heinous criminal..."
Nekomata: "What are you two talking about? What's this about a heinous criminal?"
Having finished sorting out the new room, Nekomata and Nicole came out, giving Billy a huge fright. He hurriedly waved his hands and said:
"Ah, nothing, nothing! We were just talking about... um... aha, that heinous supervillain in the la~test Starlight Knight arc!"
Looking at Billy's obvious guilty cover-up, Nicole turned toward Anby, who was watching him. Seeing Nicole turn to her, Anby understood what he meant and said:
"Billy was just curious why Nicole came out to become a Hollow Raider instead of going off to enjoy wealth and luxury with Nicole's father, or something like that."
"Ah! No, Anby, how could you just sell me out like that?!"
His face full of corebreak, Billy stared at Anby, who had given him up without the slightest hesitation.
Nicole: "Oh, that's all? I thought he'd found out the Starlight Knight Shining Edition essential oil I gave Billy last time was a knockoff."
"...I'd figured that out ages ago, but hearing you bring it up like that still hurts a little. Boohoohoo!!..."
Clutching his half-nonexistent core, Billy looked fragile and heartbroken as he hugged an unoccupied little couch and sobbed, though no tears would come.
The videotape on the TV finished playing, and Anby came over to pat his back in comfort.
Nekomata looked back and forth a few times, then followed Anby's example, coming over to pat Billy's head.
Watching this, Nicole couldn't help turning away with an awkward chuckle.
He had been so caught up in the joy of having a new member (a new laborer) that he had let his tongue run a little too freely and accidentally let it slip.
Nicole sat down where Anby had been sitting and said, "All right, I apologize. Billy, didn't you have something you were curious about? Ask away. I wasn't planning to hide it in the first place."
At that, Billy stopped making a fuss, Anby swiftly sat down beside Nicole, and Nekomata sat on Nicole's other side.
All three were brimming with curiosity and fell silent in an instant, leaving Nicole a little unaccustomed to it.
Watching Anby keep edging closer to Nicole, Billy said, speechless, "Anby, didn't you say you weren't curious about any of this at all?"
Anby: "Just ask your questions. Don't mind me."
Nekomata: "Hehe, I didn't expect to get some juicy gossip right after joining, meow!"
Billy: "Mm, then I'll ask. Boss Nicole... do you and your dad get along?"
Nicole: "Of course we get along. Does that even need asking?"
Billy: "Hmm~, then that rules out running away from home after an argument... Also, Boss Nicole, what sort of person is your dad? I get the feeling he's really hard to get along with. He seems fierce."
Nicole: "Him? How should I put it... Honestly, a lot of the time, even I can't figure out what his personality is like. He's hard to understand."
Nekomata: "Hmm... then what's his personality generally like most of the time?"
Nicole: "Most of the time... at home, he's very gentle and friendly toward me. It's just that when he's outside...
he always puts on this fierce look I can't quite describe. Anyway, that's the impression he gives people."
Billy and Anby nodded thoughtfully at that, recalling the scene in the map's tunnel back then.
"A fierce look..."
Nekomata pictured something like a Thiren arching his back and hissing, baring his teeth and claws. After all, she had never met Nicole's dad.