"Mr. Zane... is quite an extraordinary person."
Listening to Zane's words, Augilia straightened her posture. After a brief pause, she spoke softly.
"What's so special about that? It's only natural..."
Zane shook his head slightly, not agreeing with Augilia. Then he turned to Augetta and smiled.
"Didn't you want to hear my story? Why are you still standing there?"
Hearing his voice, Augetta quickly turned to Augilia. When Augilia nodded, she let go and walked toward Zane.
"Sir, sir! Tell us about Grandpa first! How long has it been since the Hollow swallowed Ballet Tower? And also, and also..."
Augetta had countless questions. Zane listened carefully, sorted them out in his mind, then began answering them one by one, starting from the first.
As night faded and dawn approached, Ballet Tower remained silent.
...
On the rooftop.
"Manager! News from the Public Security Bureau—the rescue team and the aerial police squad have already set out!"
Billy waved his hand, finally letting out a breath of relief after the chaos. As he walked toward Eous, he spoke.
An airship hijacking involving the Law Court would inevitably be handed over to the authorities for resolution.
"Billy, Rain's hacker identity is special—she infiltrated the airship while under enemy threat."
As Billy drew closer, Eous quickly jumped up, pulling him down to crouch beside her, then whispered,
"If the Public Security Bureau catches her, it'll be a huge problem. We'll take her out through the Hollow first."
"When the Public Security Bureau arrives, you know how to handle it, right?"
Though they had to turn the case over to the officials, since they'd handled everything themselves, they still had room to maneuver. There was no way they'd let Rain be taken away.
A little concealment would be best for everyone.
Hearing this, Billy's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. He gave a thumbs-up.
"I didn't inhale the anesthetic! When I realized the airship was in trouble, I piloted it here for an emergency landing!"
Being a robot, Billy had a clear sense of what was reasonable for him to claim.
"Still... with all this happening, can the Vision case really go to trial on time?"
Billy scratched his head. He knew how seriously Nicole took the case—running around gathering evidence, while at the same time dealing with the pressure that came with being the "special handymen who can solve any Hollow problem."
If the case collapsed, they wouldn't see a single coin of compensation or commission. Even if it didn't go that far, every extra day of delay was a heavy burden for Hare's House.
Lycaon, overhearing, crouched down and let Eous hop into his hand as he spoke.
"Most likely, the Public Security Bureau will take Perlman back and set a new trial date. It shouldn't be delayed too long..."
A case affecting public welfare couldn't simply be ignored. And with the Masked Fool incident putting immense pressure on the entire political scene—even the Highest Municipal Council seated in the defendant's chair—there was no room for carelessness.
Otherwise, with lawsuits still unresolved and elections around the corner, those hoping for re-election might as well forget it.
Lycaon straightened, and Eous, perched on his arm, also looked at Billy.
"Billy, we'll leave the rest to you. We're heading out first."
"Oh! Take care, Manager!"
Billy waved them off, watching as Victoria Housekeeping escorted Rain away. Hidden in the shadows, Perlman quietly opened his eyes.
On the ground, Nicole mumbled nonsense in her sleep, blowing a snot bubble, while Anby rested peacefully. Billy rubbed his temples with a sigh.
"Sigh... I wonder what face Nicole will make when she wakes up and hears what happened today..."
Just then, a strange sound broke the silence. Billy turned, puzzled.
"Hm? What was that noise?"
A shadow fell over him. Billy looked up at the airship above and froze.
"Perlman?!"
"He escaped?!!"
Watching the airship fly farther away, Billy glanced toward the high-speed rail tracks in the distance. He quickly gave up the idea of "flying after it" like Lycaon might.
"Well, that's that..."
Glancing back at Nicole, Billy plopped down on the ground with a heavy sigh.
"The case will have to be postponed..."
Who knew when Perlman would be caught again? All he could do was hope the arriving aerial police had the luck to run into him mid-escape.
Until then, all the recent work at Hare's House had been for nothing...
Not a single penny earned.
...
As Billy sat sighing on the rooftop bathed in morning light, Zane inside Ballet Tower had already given the twin sisters a rough account of what had happened outside.
"I see... Grandfather... Those people are villains, and they even had penalty clauses..."
Augetta's hands clenched slightly. She didn't know what to say—the weight of it all was crushing.
"Sigh... We sensed something was wrong even before the ball began, but what could we have done..."
"It's no surprise they'd stoop to this... all for profit..."
Augilia shook her head, her voice heavy with resentment and grief. How had Grandfather managed to repay such a massive penalty?
It must have been so hard...
"Don't be too disheartened. The ringleader has already been punished, and it hasn't been long..."
Zane spoke softly. Back at that banquet in Shin, one of the people he judged had been the very one who forced the old man to pay off such an enormous penalty.
Of course, enforcing a contract wasn't a crime in itself. But he had other sins—someone capable of such cruelty was unlikely to be good in other matters.
As for the others involved, Zane had dealt with them while helping the old gentleman. They should be rotting in prison now...
Naturally, all within legal procedure. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen...
Or perhaps, a Schrödinger's law-abiding citizen...
"So, what will you do?"
"Will you remain as you are now, waiting? Or end it all in a dream?"
Zane looked at Augetta and Augilia. Their dresses still gleamed with sharp, cold edges, but the ruthless pressure they once carried as Ethereals was gone.
"Sir, I have a question for you."
Augetta hesitated, then raised her head to meet Zane's gaze.
"You told us how we appear to others... To ordinary people, my sister and I must look like terrifying monsters now, right?"