"No, seriously—what are you doing?"
Zane said irritably.
Belle puffed out her cheeks at his words and pressed down harder.
"So annoying. I came all this way, so eager to share with you, and Brother Zane just brushes me off like this. If I'd known you'd be so cold, I wouldn't have bothered..."
"In the end, all I get is disappointment, left here to wallow in my own sorrow..."
She slowly raised a hand to her eye, turning her face away, her expression pitiful and aggrieved. Zane could only feel the veins in his forehead twitch.
"Where did you even learn that from?"
Belle's eyes flickered mischievously. After a few breaths, she managed to summon a watery sheen to her eyes, gazing at Zane in a fragile whisper—
"Brother Zane is treating me like this... I really want to cry—waaah!!"
Zane dropped his raised leg, watching as Belle toppled backward to the floor. Sitting upright, he sighed.
"Can you not be so melodramatic?"
"Alright, enough. What's the matter? Just say it."
"Hmph."
Belle sat on the floor with her arms crossed, glaring as she spoke.
"The new municipal election is coming up. This morning, the case where citizens sued the Janus District government was ruled in their favor. Right now, Janus District's administration is in complete turmoil."
"But it's not just there. The lawsuit against New Eridu's highest municipal government is still dragging on. Who knows how that'll end..."
Citizens suing the highest municipal office and the supreme court ruling in their favor? Not impossible, Zane thought. After all, the two sides weren't even part of the same political framework.
"And, I found the person you wanted. So, what's that about? Oh—and about Ryan... This afternoon we're going to the Hollow around the Twin Towers to scout the situation. What about you?"
She rattled off the list. Zane considered it a moment before answering.
"I'm not going with you this time. Don't push yourself too hard though—we've got business tonight."
"Huh? What business?"
Belle blinked, climbing back to her feet, her curiosity piqued.
He'd been quiet lately, not stirring up trouble. Was he about to start again?
At the thought, excitement flickered in her chest. Trouble never bothered her, and from the way he said it, he was planning to bring her along...
"It's nothing big. Just picking something up, based on what we learned from those people earlier."
Zane waved it off lightly.
"Picking something up?"
Belle raised a brow. That simple?
"Really just picking up?"
Zane glanced at her, met her eyes, and gave a helpless smile.
"Stealing, alright?"
"Hehe..."
"You know, I don't even know who you picked this up from. When we first met, you were actually a pretty obedient girl..."
Zane looked her over, half nostalgic, half exasperated.
Belle just rolled her eyes. Who else could she have learned it from?
"Alright, alright, I'll hurry. But I can't guarantee this investigation won't take a lot out of me. If I can't handle it, you can always have my brother go with you tonight."
As she spoke, Belle was already linking into the HDD system and contacting Hare's House.
Normally, her brother backed her up, but even apart, both siblings could uphold the name "Phaethon."
From a broader view, whether it was her brother or herself, the help to Zane was about the same. Still, missing out always left her dissatisfied.
So this time... she would aim for perfection.
Zane, watching her slip so quickly into work mode, blinked, then recalled her earlier words. Without another word, he turned and headed upstairs to find Wise for documents.
With the files in hand, he left the video store.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
...
By evening, Zane was making his way back, the intersection of Sixth Street just ahead, though his thoughts were elsewhere.
"Rod... Twin Towers... tch, that Hollow won't be easy to take down..."
The challenge wasn't in combat strength—but in other factors.
"And Shin's situation... The anomalies in the Zero Hollow... Maybe Ya knows more about that?"
He shook his head slightly. The Zero Hollow could wait; it wasn't his concern yet. First, the Twin Towers. Then he'd consider heading into Zero Hollow.
And tonight's job... With Hare's House and Victoria Housekeeping working together, things should go smoothly.
As he pulled himself from his thoughts, a flash of white hair caught his eye. Zane raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Soldier 11—
And she wasn't alone. Trigger was with her.
"What, here for ramen again?"
As he stepped closer, Zane greeted them, his eyes on Soldier 11. Before she could answer, Trigger spoke up.
"We're here for you."
"What's the matter?"
His earlier question was just to confirm. Since they were here specifically for him, he asked directly.
He had business tonight; no time to waste on small talk over ramen.
"Zane, can you create high-purity Ether substance?"
Trigger wasted no time getting to the point.
"High-purity Ether substance? What do you need that for?"
Zane raised a brow, surprised.
Trigger didn't answer immediately. After a moment's thought, he tugged Zane into a side alley. Soldier 11 followed close behind.
Once there, Trigger scanned their surroundings, then spoke seriously.
"Zane, do you know what's happening in Mars District?"
Zane gave a small nod.
"We urgently need high-purity Ether. The purer, the better. They'll pay you a price worth your while."
"Of course, if you don't want Dennies, you can name other terms. I'm sure the people in Mars District will agree."
Since Zane hadn't flatly refused, Trigger knew he had a way. He paused, then added,
"There was another channel before, but things got... complicated. So now..."
Zane immediately understood what Trigger meant and gave a helpless shake of his head. Another old mess, then.
"Can you set up a meeting? Any way is fine. I want to speak to those people directly."
After thinking it through, Zane made his decision. Trigger, unsurprised, nodded and led him away.
...
Late at night, New Eridu.
"Master, we've arrived..."
On a street corner, Corin held a phone to her ear, speaking to someone on the other end. Beside her, Ellen leaned against the wall, her expression cool.
That guy had actually become a client of Victoria Housekeeping.
It still felt... strange.