Belle was openly badmouthing Wise, completely oblivious to the fact that he was standing right at the staircase entrance, his expression growing darker by the second.
Behind him, Panta and No. 6 came down the stairs. One of them accidentally bumped into Wise's leg, sending both Bangboos stumbling back, dizzy and confused.
As the two Bangboos wondered why Wise was blocking the way, he had already started walking toward the shelves. Zane, too, noticed Wise approaching.
Meanwhile, Belle, caught up in her rant and with her back turned to the stairs, remained unaware of Wise's arrival.
Zane blinked. Was it his imagination, or did he just see a giant "DANGER" sign floating above Belle's head...?
...
As Belle had said, there was no time to waste in rescuing the hacker Rain. Not long after finishing with the videotapes, Victoria Housekeeping sent a message.
After last night's candid exchange, cooperation between Phaethon and Victoria Housekeeping had grown notably closer. With the information secured, the operation began smoothly.
Zane took Eous into the Hollows, heading for the Ballet Tower to rendezvous with Victoria Housekeeping.
Some time later, outside the tower—
"Proxy, Rina and I checked several exits earlier. Those rebel bandits are still holed up inside, no signs of movement."
Lycaon briefed Eous and Zane upon their arrival. Belle immediately switched into work mode.
"Seems their mission isn't complete yet, so they can't retreat... What do they plan to do with Rain?"
Belle's voice came through Eous as he rested his chin on one hand, falling into thought.
Though Bangboo didn't actually have chins, of course.
"Hmm. But since our perimeter team lost contact, the enemy will no doubt tighten their defenses. This operation will almost certainly require direct combat."
"We need to break through their line as quickly as possible and rescue Miss Rain."
Lycaon nodded. If they weren't inside the Hollows, the enemy would have to worry about the Ethereals as well. But here, the risk wasn't just startling the prey—it was a fight waiting to happen.
Hearing this, Eous instinctively glanced back at Zane. Though he claimed he was only here to "watch the show," if things really went south, there was no way he'd stand by.
Strength wasn't the problem.
Lost in thought, Belle suddenly realized something: ever since they'd met, Zane always ended up being the one covering for them...
Her thoughts trailed off as the group moved out.
...
"In the event of an accident, Ballet Tower guarantees your personal safety to the greatest extent possible..."
Eous read aloud softly from a newspaper he'd picked up off the ground.
"The Nette sisters, prodigy dancers. Strange events plaguing their show before opening night..."
"Tch. 'Guarantee safety to the greatest extent possible'? Sounds even less reliable than Hare's House..."
Zane shook his head. If the commission fee was high enough, Hare's House would be thorough. Ballet Tower? Their reputation spoke for itself.
"Yeah, ridiculous."
Eous sighed and passed the paper to the others.
Not far away, Ellen had her shark scissors pressed against both sides of a rebel's neck like a guillotine. She glanced back at them briefly before turning away.
The thinking part—she'd leave to them. She'd always lived by the principle: if you can act, don't overthink.
"Down you go!"
"Down, down!"
Rina's two Bangboos chimed in gleefully as another enemy collapsed. Fitted with human speech modules and always by her side, they clearly shared her tendency to enjoy the spectacle.
"Let's move. These are just small fry, nothing of value."
Lycaon scanned the area, then spoke. The others quickly followed.
At the back of the group, Ellen carried her shark scissors, face expressionless as she raised a hand to cover a massive yawn. She looked exhausted.
"What's with the sleepy shark act? Didn't get enough rest last night?"
As always, Zane walked beside her at the rear. His voice drifted to her ear. She glanced sideways at him, sighed, and muttered,
"Because it's not a holiday. I only managed to take half a day off. This morning I was back in school, scrambling to finish homework..."
"I really envy people like you who don't have to go to school..."
"Huh? Even if you don't, you still have to work. Don't tell me you prefer working over going to school?"
Zane raised an eyebrow. She didn't exactly look like someone motivated by either.
"Pfft, of course not. School and work are just crap-flavored chocolate and chocolate-flavored crap. Why pick one or the other..."
"That's why I envy you—you don't have school or work..."
Ellen waved a hand dismissively, muttering.
"But I have to save the world..."
Zane sighed softly.
Save the world.
Coming from him, it sounded absurd, laughable—yet strangely real and convincing at the same time.
Ellen's lips twitched. She resisted the urge to smack him into a wall with her tail.
Still, that little back-and-forth had chased away most of her drowsiness. Before she could relax, the next battle was already upon them.
Shark scissors in hand, Ellen moved forward.
...
"The sweep's done, but no sign of Miss Rain."
Corin spoke softly, clutching her circular saw. For Victoria Housekeeping, "sweep" was just another name for combat.
"Looks like these were just lackeys. The hostage must be with their leader."
Lycaon thought aloud, his crimson eyes calm and steady.
"Lycaon, what's this device they had? Looks like some kind of transmitter."
Eous stood beside a suitcase-shaped object, asking the question.
Lycaon picked it up, opened it, and let Eous perch on his arm to peer inside.
"You're right, Guide. This is a military-grade G03 multi-band signal transceiver. Plenty powerful."
"Paired with the right multimedia equipment, it could even help intelligence agents crack high-security signal systems."
His past made such knowledge second nature—trivial to him, but not to others.
"Hey, found this too."
On the other side, Ellen had gathered some blueprint files and brought them over. The group studied them briefly, realization dawning.
The Law Court's airship. Ballet Tower not located at the top of the Hollows. Rain's hacking skills...
Before they could piece it together fully, Belle at the video store suddenly heard Fairy's reminder—Billy was calling.