Nekomata: "Nicole, are you sure the person in this picture... is you?"
Nicole: "Of course that's me. I was just very young back then."
Anby: "If you compare them carefully, there are indeed a few similarities."
The picture in the old newspaper showed an elegant, poised, and cute pink-haired woman. She wore an exquisite black evening gown, a pair of white gloves, and black high heels.
A long string of pearls was simply wound around her pink twin tails, and she wore a crown-like hair ornament on her head.
Although the picture in the old newspaper had faded a little, they could still see that her eyes were roughly orange. She also wore a smile, and she looked rather young overall.
Billy pinched his metal chin and narrowed his eye sockets slightly, comparing the old newspaper with Nicole's face back and forth.
Billy: "Boss Nicole, aside from the pink hair, I really don't see how anything else here looks like you?"
Nicole: "Naturally. After all, I put a lot of effort into dressing up back then, to make sure nobody could recognize me!"
Anby: "Yes, looking at it this way, Nicole's disguise was indeed very thorough."
"Definitely. You looked like a gentle, cute lady, not nearly as fierce as you are now... fierce, fiercely ambitious!"
Having nearly blurted out a truth right in front of the person concerned, Billy hurriedly put his chip to work and changed his words to another truth that was hard to interpret.
Nicole rolled his eyes and said indifferently, "Looks like someone still has some pretty strong preconceived notions about me."
Billy took a step back, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward, appeasing smile.
"Shocking! The CEO of TOPS, quiet for so many years, actually... actually... I can't read it, meow!"
Nekomata took the old daily newspaper from Nicole and started reading its contents aloud as she looked through it. But many parts farther down had been scraped, leaving them too blurry to make out, so she asked Nicole:
"Nicole, Nicole, this newspaper is dated several years ago. What were you doing back then?"
Nicole: "Back then? I remember going with my dad to some... press conference or something. That's when this photo was taken."
Billy: "Boss Nicole, how come there's no photo of your dad, though? I haven't seen him anywhere in this newspaper."
Nicole sat back down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and replied:
"Him? He doesn't like making his identity completely public. No matter what website or newspaper you look at, you won't find any photos or information about him.
Only other big shots and people like that might know his identity. And here in New Eridu, the vast majority of people don't even know that the CEO of TOPS is a Void Hunter."
Anby: "Yes, his actions and whereabouts are extremely secretive. I searched the Inter-Knot and other channels but found nothing."
Billy: "Huh? Boss Nicole, didn't your dad go to that press conference with you? Shouldn't he have shown his face then?"
Nicole: "That's something I don't understand about him. I saw those reporters taking plenty of pictures of him, too, but in the end, the only photos that kept appearing in the papers and online were mine. Not a single one of his showed up."
"Wow... why do I feel like what you're talking about is getting more and more complicated? First a press conference, then a Void Hunter, then whereabouts and whatever else. I don't understand any of it anymore, meow!"
Nekomata scratched her head and ears as she complained.
"It's okay, Nekomata. You'll slowly learn about all this later! But, Boss Nicole..." Billy sidled up beside Nicole, rubbing his hands at an angle and wriggling his backside like a loach as he suggested:
"Since today's such an important day, how about we all go out for a meal together? My treat!"
Who knew which wire had crossed in Billy, but the moment he mentioned treating them, he planted one foot on the table, straightened his back, and looked down his chin at everyone.
Nicole: "Well, well, you're pretty sharp today, Billy. You're even offering to treat us."
Anby: "Billy's behavior today is very unusual."
"Hehe, it's to celebrate our new companion. Though the place I'm treating you to is a Starlight Knight-themed restaurant, okay?"
As Billy spoke, he turned to look at Nekomata, his meaning obvious. Nekomata immediately understood what he meant and said:
"I don't really have any requests. As long as there's mackerel, I'm happy!"
Anby: "I have no objections either."
Nicole: "Since Billy's treating us, naturally we have to go."
"Looks like everyone's got a good appetite today. Get ready, then. We'll head out in a bit!" With that, Billy swiftly darted into his room.
After watching Billy and then Nekomata, who left afterward, enter their rooms and shut their doors, Anby spoke to Nicole, who was also about to get ready. "Nicole, I think Billy's behavior today is very inconsistent with his usual behavioral logic."
"Really? I didn't notice anything off about him... oh, he seemed to lock his door just now. I remember he doesn't usually lock it."
Nicole didn't think anything was wrong. They had merely chatted about his insignificant family secrets, and then a longtime employee had offered to treat the new employee to dinner or something. Wasn't that all perfectly normal?
Anby: "Nicole, that's not what I..."
"All right, all right, Anby. Rather than thinking about that stuff, why not think about what delicious things you want to eat later?" Nicole said, then returned to his own room to dress up.
Anby stood there thinking for a moment, then complied. "...Yes, understood."
After entering his room, Billy locked his door. Then he took out his phone and opened the Knock Knock chat app. He found an account with a blank avatar and name, but with the contact note "New boss's dad."
"Billy: Master Huojin, this is as far as I can get with this.
Billy: No matter how I try, I can't get anything out of him.
Huojin: You only asked him a few questions, and you're telling me you can't get anything out of him?!
Billy: I really did my best. If I keep asking, I feel like they'll start suspecting me. (wipes sweat)
Huojin: You... forget it. Since he's unwilling to reveal it to his little employees, I'll just have to think of another way.
Huojin: There's nothing more for you to do. I've already had the payment I promised delivered to you, not a penny short.
Billy: Okay, thank you, Master Huojin! (smiley face)
Huojin: Mm. However, I have one more condition for you going forward.
Billy: ?!?! What? What?
Huojin: You mustn't reveal our transaction to anyone, and especially not to Nicole.
Huojin: Otherwise, the consequences will be beyond anything you could imagine.
Billy: ...I was wondering what it was. So that's all.
Billy: Don't worry, Master Huojin.
Billy: I swear in the name of the Starlight Knight that I'll keep my lips absolutely sealed about this!"
After Billy typed that final line, he received no further reply. Then his phone's screen went black again, and when he opened it to check once more, that Knock Knock account was gone.
Billy breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was inwardly marveling at how freely rich people spent their money, Nicole's urgent knocking and calls to hurry came from outside the door.
Nicole: "Billy, are you done yet? What's taking you so long?!!"
Billy: "Uhhh! Coming, coming! Just give me another sec!!"
New Eridu / Outer Ring / Blazewood...
"...Wait, what exactly did that guy Billy do to get all this!?"
"Luciana Auxesis Theodoro de Montefio" (her full name was as damn long as Rina's) stared in shock at the shipping container that had just been delivered by air.
She also watched speechlessly as her companions, their eyes shining, freely plundered the "gifts" inside.
"Burnice" drooled as she hugged a fuel drink barrel that reached her shoulders, shuffling along with difficulty.
"Piper" clung to and sprawled over a new Ether truck engine she had dreamed of, savoring it in detail.
"Lighter," who arrived late, and the three little pigs helped Burnice move the remaining fuel drink barrels.
There was also the one who left Lucy the most speechless, though she still barely looked the part of a boss: Calydon's current boss, "Caesar King."
Caesar looked at the large, full crate of Denny banknotes that reached her waist and called excitedly to Lucy:
"Lucy, come look! There are so many neatly stacked Denny here!!"
Lucy: "I know, Caesar. Look at you, acting like you've never seen anything before!"
Caesar paid no attention. Instead, she pulled a black bearer debit card from inside and asked in confusion, "Huh, what's this? Why's there a black card in here too?"
Lucy, who had turned her head away haughtily, was frightened when she turned back to look:
"Wha... aaah?! Caesar, you big idiot, don't bend it! Put that thing down right now!!!"