Wise

Biodata

Background / History

Cretan Hollow Rescue

Nicole approached Wise and Belle after Billy, Anby, and a commission target fell into a Hollow. Wise connected to Eous through the HDD system and entered the Hollow remotely, carrying a Bangboo smoke grenade. He located Anby and Billy, brought them to temporary safety, and guided their evacuation while Belle calculated the exit route. The escape required them to trust an apparent dead end: after Wise disconnected, they carried Eous through a wall that served as the Hollow’s exit 2 5.

The commission remained unfinished because Nicole’s safe was still inside Dullahan’s territory. Wise identified a damaged pendant as a data drive that might contain the safe’s password, which Belle subsequently recovered. Despite initially refusing another discount, he yielded to Nicole and Anby’s appeals 6 7.

HDD Hijacking and Fairy’s Activation

During the return expedition, Wise experienced repeating audio and sensory interruptions before being forcibly disconnected from Eous. A hacker had seized the HDD system, demanded the safe’s password, and erased part of the siblings’ stored data while threatening the stranded Cunning Hares 7 8.

Wise and Belle countered by allowing the hacker to take control of Phaethon’s Inter-Knot account, then reporting that account to Public Security. Wise also drew out an explanation of the safe’s contents: the hacker claimed it held data comparable to Rosetta Data, capable of enabling unrestricted Hollow travel. An explosion abruptly ended the transmission, restoring the siblings’ control of the HDD. Unknown to them at the time, Huojin’s subordinates had disposed of the hacker 10 11.

With their escape data deleted, Wise proposed reading the safe’s chip through Eous. He warned that the consequences were unknown and prepared an automatic rescue commission as a fallback. Inserting the chip caused Eous to levitate and glow while Wise experienced painful sensory disturbances and lost consciousness 11 12.

Eous nevertheless led the Cunning Hares outside. Nicole returned with a doctor, allowing the group to extract Wise from the HDD. After recovering at the video store, Wise learned that the chip had activated Fairy, an artificial intelligence that addressed him as her master. Nicole paid her debt, although much of the payment went toward his medical treatment and Eous’s repairs 12.

Vision Corporation’s Demolition Crisis

Nekomata came to the video store seeking Phaethon on Nicole’s behalf and warned that Vision Corporation’s account of its demolition project was false. Wise and Belle initially concealed their identity until she presented Nicole’s Bangboo, Amillion, as evidence of her connection 15.

When the residents’ evacuation became difficult, Wise suggested changing the problem itself: shrink the Hollow rather than move everyone through it. Belle developed this into a plan to kill the Dead End Butcher using Vision’s Ether explosives. Before they could carry it out, Huojin intervened and immobilized the group, including Eous. Wise recognized that the paralysis was happening inside the Hollow rather than resulting from a connection fault 19.

Through Eous, Wise witnessed Huojin’s introduction as Nicole’s adoptive father, TOPS’s CEO, and a Void Hunter. While Belle immediately considered Nicole’s unpaid fees, Wise was particularly struck by the Void Hunter revelation 21.

Helping Nicole and Huojin Communicate

Fairy’s electricity consumption eventually strained the siblings’ finances so severely that they were down to their last two cups of instant noodles. During this crisis, Huojin visited with Butler and offered a secret commission, backed by gold bars: discreetly determine why Nicole seemed to be distancing herself from her family 31 32 33.

Wise and Belle challenged Huojin’s interpretation. Wise argued that Nicole’s desire to support herself did not mean she wanted to cut ties, and defended her consideration for other people’s feelings. The siblings identified Huojin’s poor choice of conversation topics as part of the problem and asked Fairy to prepare a telephone script 33.

The resulting call reassured Huojin that Nicole still cared about him. Wise initially declined compensation, but Huojin insisted on paying the prepared commission fee and covering their electricity bills for life. He required them to keep his visit and the call secret, threatening to withdraw the electricity arrangement if they revealed it 34.

Belle’s Hollow Rescue

While restocking the store, Wise accepted a commission from Shepherd to clear malfunctioning mechs from a Hollow. He scheduled it for later, intending to finish the store’s work with Belle first. When a nearby Hollow outbreak cut across Belle’s likely driving route, he authorized Fairy to search surveillance footage and activate the rescue service included with Huojin’s company membership 47.

Wise entered through Eous alongside the Iron Guards while his body remained at the video store. Twenty-four Iron Guards participated inside the Hollow, protecting Eous and searching for stranded civilians. Despite the operation’s rapid progress, Wise remained anxious until a rescued schoolgirl supplied a lead on Belle 48 49.

The Iron Guards rescued Belle from the rogue mech Guardian and destroyed it before Eous arrived. Wise confirmed through Fairy’s communications network that his sister was unhurt, then explained that Guardian also fell within Shepherd’s commission. He continued the job against any remaining malfunctioning mechs 50.

Personality

Wise combines dry humor with a comparatively calm manner. He teases Nicole about entering without knocking, recognizes her attempts to negotiate discounts before she finishes asking, and jokes that sufficient praise might lower a commission fee. His resolve on payment is weaker than his words suggest: Belle explicitly calls him too softhearted after he grants another discount 2 5 6.

He takes his obligations as a Proxy seriously. When Anby questions why he would risk returning when his own body is safely outside the Hollow, he answers that he promised to bring them out. His willingness to attempt the unknown data chip is paired with practical preparation, including an automatic rescue request if the attempt fails 11.

Wise is protective of Belle and attentive to Nicole’s feelings. He becomes visibly worried during Belle’s disappearance and immediately asks whether she is injured once contact is restored. In discussing Nicole with Huojin, he distinguishes independence from rejection rather than accepting the father’s worst-case assumptions 33 47 49 50.

His movie preferences favor slower-paced works, particularly art films and documentaries. Belle exposes that these make up sixty percent of one restocking purchase and accuses him of using store funds to indulge his own interests. She also considers him as much of a homebody as herself 47.

Abilities & Skills

HDD Sensory Synchronization

Wise uses the HDD system to synchronize his senses with Eous and act through the Bangboo while remaining physically outside the Hollow 2 11.

• Can speak to clients, inspect their surroundings, and guide them through Eous 5 7.
• Mechanical-eye patterns appear in his pupils when the connection is activated 2.
• A compromised HDD can interrupt his senses and forcibly sever the connection 7 8.
• Remote operation does not eliminate personal risk: reading Fairy’s chip caused unconsciousness, convulsions, and a need for medical assistance 11 12.

Hollow Navigation and Planning

Wise provides route guidance through Hollows’ unstable geography, working closely with Belle’s calculations 5.

• Directs clients through exits that can appear to be solid walls 5.
• Recognizes when deleted or outdated route data makes a previous escape plan unusable 11.
• Prepares contingency rescue commissions for dangerous operations 11.
• Proposes unconventional solutions, including shrinking a Hollow to expose an evacuation route 19.
• Usually leaves frontline Ethereal combat to accompanying fighters 5.

Deception and Negotiation

Wise helps protect Phaethon’s identity and uses conversation to gain information or create openings 10 15.

• Feigns cooperation with the HDD hacker while coordinating a trap with Belle 10.
• Questions the hacker about the strongbox before the confrontation ends 10.
• Maintains the video-store cover when an unfamiliar visitor asks for Phaethon 15.
• Explicitly distinguishes Proxy work from espionage when Huojin proposes covert information gathering 32.

Fairy-Assisted Operations

After Fairy’s activation, Wise can direct her computing and communications resources 12 47 48.

• Requests location searches, surveillance analysis, and synchronization with the HDD 19 47.
• Uses Fairy to coordinate Iron Guard search-and-rescue teams and evaluate rescue plans 48.
• Maintains contact with Belle through Fairy’s communications network after her rescue 50.
• Fairy’s substantial electricity consumption initially places the household under financial pressure 31.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Eous — Bangboo used as Wise’s remotely controlled presence inside Hollows; recognizable by its scarf and human speech while connected to him 2 5.
• HDD system — the siblings’ equipment for processing Hollow data and maintaining Wise’s connection to Eous 6 8.
• Bangboo smoke grenade — taken out through Eous before the initial rescue expedition 2.
• Fairy data chip — recovered from Nicole’s safe and inserted into Eous, activating Fairy 11 12.
• Black metal business card / company membership — provided by Huojin with contact information and access to private security services, including Hollow search and rescue 32 47.
• Earpiece — carries Fairy’s private notifications, including a warning about Wise’s elevated heart rate during Huojin’s visit 32.

Relationships

• Belle — Younger sister, fellow Phaethon Proxy, and video-store partner. She supports his Hollow navigation and sensory connection; her disappearance prompts him to mobilize Fairy and the Iron Guards 2 5 47 48.
• Nicole Demara — Long-standing client, friend, and frequent debtor. Wise repeatedly assists the Cunning Hares, grants reluctant discounts, and helps resolve Nicole’s misunderstanding with her adoptive father 6 28 33 34.
• Anby Demara — Client and field companion who trusts his navigation but directly questions his reasons for risking himself. Wise answers by reaffirming his promise to rescue the group 5 11.
• Billy — Friendly client who calls him “Manager” and praises Phaethon’s reliability. Billy handles combat while Wise provides guidance 5.
• Fairy — AI assistant who recognizes Wise as her master. Supports his investigations, communications, and rescue operations 12 47 48.
• Huojin / Hawking Hongke — Nicole’s adoptive father and a powerful client. Rewards the siblings’ communication advice with payment and lifetime electricity coverage, and provides the security access later used to rescue Belle 32 34 47.
• Butler — Huojin’s representative, who explains the secret commission and delivers its deposit 32 34.
• Nekomata — Approaches Wise and Belle for Proxy assistance during the Vision demolition crisis, establishing her credentials through Nicole 15.
• Shepherd — Commission intermediary who brings Wise the malfunctioning-mech assignment. Wise accepts partly for the potential value of Association intelligence 47.
• Iron Guards — Private security personnel mobilized through Huojin’s membership service; protect Eous and conduct the search that locates Belle 48 49 50.

Notable Quotes

“What are you talking about? I'm your 'Proxy.' I promised to get you out, and that's exactly what I'll do.” 11

“A few more compliments, and I might give you a discount on the commission fee.” 5

“As long as you're all right. I was worried sick about you.” 50