Billy's comment hit like a wake-up call. The director had seemed sincere, but... could he really have abandoned everything over 850,000 Dennies?
Nicole hesitated. "I don't think so. I'm usually a pretty good judge of character..."
Then, to find out for sure, she opened the second letter.
The moment Nicole read the contents, she couldn't hide her joy. A bright smile spread across her face.
Billy blinked in confusion. "Nicole, what's going on?"
Nekomata stood on tiptoe, trying to peek at the letter. "Nicole, what does it say? Don't tell me the director really ran away?"
Nicole quickly dismissed the idea. "Of course not! He didn't run at all. Fine, I'll just read it to you."
Taking a deep breath, she explained:
"The director said the investor wasn't impressed by the Star-Emblem Knight trailer... but accidentally saw another clip—the one he filmed while Sam Li was fighting. He titled it Golden-Emblem Knight. The investor was blown away by how Sam Li looked in that footage and immediately agreed to invest 100 million Dennies for it as a sister project to the original trailer."
Hearing that, Anby nodded slowly. "I figured. No way would any sane investor pay for that first trailer."
Still, the fact that the investor loved the impromptu battle footage enough to treat it as a new project… that twist was definitely not what Anby expected.
Off to the side, Billy groaned with regret.
"Back during that fight, I told the director to film me! But he kept the camera glued to Sam Li! What a waste—if he'd captured my graceful form, the investors would've been falling over themselves to invest..."
Nicole: "..."
Anby: "..."
Nekomata chimed in, "What about the commission? He just got a hundred million Dennies—he's not going to ghost us, right?"
That snapped Nicole back to reality. She quickly grabbed the envelope off the ground.
"He said the check's inside... let me find it—"
Moments later, she pulled out a crisp bank check. The number printed on it was clear.
Nekomata squinted and counted, "One zero... two zeros... six zeros! That's a million. He gave us 150,000 extra!"
Nicole waved it off like it was nothing. "It's not extra. It's compensation. We originally agreed to film just the Star-Emblem Knight trailer, but ended up doing a second one for Golden-Emblem Knight. Honestly, 150,000 is too low."
It had only been a few days—and they'd landed another million.
Nicole was over the moon, showering Sam Li with praise.
Since Sam Li joined Hare's House, not only had he taken on more jobs, he'd also brought in a string of high-paying commissions.
Sure, none of them matched Victoria Housekeeping's massive six-million Denny contract...
But for a typical street-level agency, pulling in a million Dennies from a single client was already absurd.
Before Sam Li, they were lucky to see even one job over 500,000 in a span of months.
Since Sam Li's arrival, they'd landed multiple deals above that mark—in just a month. Their revenue had quadrupled.
Nicole beamed with confidence. "There's no question about Sam Li's abilities. I believe he'll land a six-million Denny job soon. When that happens, whatever you all want—I'll buy it."
Nekomata cheered, "I want a one-meter-long mackerel!"
Billy chimed in, "I want a whole case of gun oil and another of bullets!"
Anby smiled, her voice full of hope. "Under Sam Li's lead, Hare's House is thriving. We're stepping into a brighter future."
Just as everyone was enjoying their bright outlook...
Suddenly, a deliveryman arrived with another stack of envelopes.
Nekomata's eyes lit up. "More money? Quick, check who they're from!"
Nicole took the envelopes and checked them one by one.
One was from Tingman Café...
One from the Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect Market...
One from the Lumina Square breakfast shop...
And one from the Janus District Public Security Bureau...
At that, Nicole froze.
A chill ran down her spine.
Wait... were all these bills under Sam Li's name?
Nekomata couldn't hold back. "Open one!"
Nicole opened the one from the Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect Market.
Just as she feared—it was a 10,000 Denny bill for birdseed Sam Li had put on their tab.
Thankfully, only 10,000.
Then she opened the others from Tingman Café and the breakfast shop.
Unsurprisingly, they were all unpaid tabs from Sam Li's recent coffee and breakfast runs.
The total? Over 100,000 Dennies.
Nicole took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face.
"It's fine, just over 100,000. We did just make a million. Pocket change. Really. Ha... ha..."
Nekomata tilted his head. "Nicole, your smile's looking kind of stiff."
Nicole coughed lightly, putting on a serious face.
"That's just because the last one's from the Public Security Bureau. I'm worried Sam Li might've gotten involved in something..."
Nekomata immediately shook his head. "No way! Sam Li's not a bad person, meow."
Billy couldn't wait. "Nicole, I'll open it!"
Without waiting, he tore open the letter from the Public Security Bureau.
He blinked at the contents in disbelief.
"A commendation? An Outstanding Citizen Medal and a 50,000 Denny reward? Signed by Captain Zhu Yuan?"
Nicole snatched the letter and read it herself.
After scanning the page, she burst out laughing.
"I knew it! Turns out Sam Li stopped a criminal yesterday at Lumina Square, rescued a little girl, and helped the Bureau crack a major case. So they're awarding him a medal and a 50,000 Denny reward. That's amazing! Oh, and we have to go pick up the money in person."
In the span of a few minutes, Nicole's emotions had swung from joy... to dread... and back to joy.
She scanned the end of the letter.
"According to Captain Zhu Yuan, they didn't get to interview him yesterday, so they're holding a press conference today. They're asking us to bring Sam Li along."
She turned to the others.
"Who's coming with me to Sixth Street to find Sam Li and head to the Public Security Bureau for the reward and the interview?"
Billy shot his hand up first. "Me! You can't have an interview without me!"
Nekomata raised a paw too. "I'm going, meow!"
Then they all looked at Anby.
She paused, then nodded. "I'll come too."