"So, you're saying the two of you escaped from the Weasel Gang just like that?" Billy was inspecting the bullets Nicole had brought back.
"What do you mean, escaped from the Weasel Gang?" Nicole sat on the sofa, arms crossed and legs elegantly crossed. "If anything, the Weasel Gang should count themselves lucky they escaped from us."
"You're amazing, Nicole." Anby's tone was completely flat—probably her face, too.
Sitting beside the truck outside, Ignis could easily hear the conversation upstairs the moment he focused.
It was nearly evening by the time they returned from Ash Street. When the giant stepped out of the truck, the neighbors around them nearly jumped out of their skins.
Fortunately, after Nicole explained that he was the Cunning Hares' new employee, most people calmed down.
Only a few children hid behind corners, peeking curiously at him and whispering whether he was "Super Gorilla Man" from a cartoon.
He waved to the children—which only made them squeal in terror.
Before long, their parents called them home for dinner, and the little ones ran off excitedly, telling their parents that the giant downstairs had waved to them and definitely wasn't a robot.
Several ladies and gentlemen nodded politely to the friendly giant in thanks.
Compared to the black market on Ash Street at the edge of the city, Ignis preferred this environment much more. But as a member of the Cunning Hares now, he knew dealing with gangs would become a regular occurrence.
Hopefully, they'd have enough sense to behave—Salamanders were not mindless killers, but they weren't doormats either.
He sighed, letting out the small knot of worry building in his chest about the future.
A sudden screech of brakes echoed, followed by quick footsteps. The delivery guy checked his order slip, blinking in confusion—until his eyes met Ignis's.
"Oh, wow. You're real?" The courier froze for a second. "Uh, hi. The note said to deliver this to 'the giant downstairs.'"
"Huh?" Ignis blinked, quickly realizing this was probably Nicole's doing. "Just set it down here."
The courier carefully walked over and placed the food beside him.
"Man, this is a first for me—never had a delivery address like 'the giant downstairs.'" He held up the order receipt to show Ignis, though Ignis couldn't read the strange letters on it.
"I honestly thought it was some kind of prank," the courier said, backing away with a nervous laugh.
"Well, it's not the first time someone's used me as a landmark." Ignis chuckled softly, then offered a warning: "Take care on your way back."
Once, in the past, some Astra Militarum logistics crew had used him and his squad as landmarks while delivering ammunition to the front.
"Drop it off at the trench where the three Angels of the Emperor are stationed!"
"Which three?"
"The biggest three!"
The story had spread through the ranks, until it nearly got those soldiers executed for blasphemy.
Fortunately, Sergeant Volcanic had intervened, saying he didn't mind the harmless joke—the execution was reduced to a flogging.
"You like kids, huh?" Nicole asked, pulling a burger from the delivery bag and handing it to Anby.
The Cunning Hares gathered in the garage and sat cross-legged on the floor to eat together. As Nicole always said, "A family should eat as one—unless there's an emergency."
"They're fine, as long as they're not some dangerous xeno-spawn." Ignis pointed at the long delivery order. "By the way, could you teach me how to read?"
"I'll do it." Anby took the burger, bit off a small piece, and said, "I have experience teaching others."
"Before literacy class, I think we need to solve our housing issue," Billy said, sipping his cola before letting out a satisfied burp. "We can't just leave the big guy living downstairs forever."
"I've already got that covered," Nicole replied between bites of fries. "Our landlord has a larger place—big garage, plenty of space. It's perfect for him."
"But, boss, we still owe the landlord a bunch of money," Billy pointed out. "You think he'll agree to move us into a bigger house?"
That question caught Nicole completely off guard. She hurriedly gulped down some soda, thumping her chest until she managed to breathe again.
"That's my problem, not yours," she snapped back, changing the subject. "What about your repairs? How much will it cost?"
"You know me, boss. I'm made with lost-tech components—some parts are hard to find." Billy scratched his head. "They said it'll take a week to get what I need, and it's not cheap."
Nicole visibly deflated after hearing that.
"Billy, replace everything except the core components with cheaper alternatives for now," she sighed.
What a mess. She'd hoped taking on a big job would ease their financial strain—instead, they'd lost a small fortune.
"My test results came back," Anby announced between small, neat bites. She had already finished her burger.
"The doctor said I'm in decent shape, but my Ether exposure is too high. I can't enter the Hollows for now, and I have to keep taking the inhibitors."
"Ugh…" Nicole pressed a hand to her forehead, speechless.
"But today, I went to Sixth Street. Phaethon gave me a gift."
Anby reached into her pocket and pulled out a small green orb.
"It's a new W-Engine model, specially modified. It boosts average weapon performance by up to 44.21%. Equipped soldiers' survival rates increase by at least 30%."
"Phaethon's that generous?" Nicole's eyes lit up instantly. "By the way, how did that 'fake crying to get a discount' plan go?"
"Phaethon agreed to create an alt account on the Inter-Knot to give us discounted orders." Anby nodded seriously. "The Proxy said I should act more convincingly next time. Was my acting really that bad?"
It was hard to imagine that poker face trying to fake-cry.
Still, instead of picturing that, Ignis was more curious about what exactly "W-Engine" and "Inter-Knot" were.
"Our weapon systems rely on Ether energy," Anby explained, inserting the green orb into a slot on her backpack. "This thing adjusts the output frequency through ultrasonic modulation."
So that lightning-wrapped sword technique of hers—that was controlled by this little gadget.
"As for the Inter-Knot…" Billy said, stuffing the leftover trash into an empty bag. "It's the underground network where other Proxies and other Hollow Raiders communicate. Most commissions and trades happen there."
The dark web of this world, huh. Ignis wondered if he could get himself a device that could access it.
"Nicole, there's a job on the Inter-Knot," Anby said, finishing her meal. "A toy store owner on Sixth Street lost a shipment inside a Hollow. Phaethon's looking for people to retrieve it."
"Excellent, Anby." Nicole's instincts for profit flared immediately. "I'll contact Phaethon right away. The Cunning Hares are definitely taking that job."
"A toy store?" Ignis asked, puzzled. "Doesn't sound very lucrative."
"That's where you're wrong," Billy said, pulling a round object from his belt. It looked like a chibi character's head—red and white hair, wildly asymmetrical bangs, and big yellow eyes.
It looked suspiciously like Billy's own chibi version.
"Most of us Hollow Raiders use modded W-Engines we get from all sorts of sources." Billy proudly displayed his. "This one was built from a Starlight Knight collectible. Cool, huh?"
"So, the toy store's just a front for an arms dealer?" Ignis was stunned. A toy shop selling weapons—that was a leap.
Then again, considering plastic-to-metal conversions, maybe not that big of a leap.
"Sixth Street's full of experts," Nicole said. "Even the auto shop there doubles as a Bangboo modding center. They can turn ordinary Bangboos into combat models—ours is being serviced there now."
"A toy store selling weapons, an auto shop upgrading Bangboos…" Ignis shook his head. "This city really is something else."
"The video rental shop's actually a Proxy's base," Anby added. "Phaethon and the others run it. The day you met them was in the garage behind that store."
"Sixth Street truly is full of hidden masters." Ignis sighed, watching the three finish their meal.
Burgers, fried chicken, fries, and soda—same as yesterday.
"None of you can cook?" Ignis asked, looking at his new teammates.
"I'm a robot," Billy said with a shrug.
"Anby and I can't cook either," Nicole admitted. "We don't exactly have the luxury of time to learn. Delivery's faster."
"Wait—you can cook, big guy?" Billy asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Yes," Ignis nodded. "If there's ever a chance, I'll cook for you all."
Whether on Terra before his transformation or afterward as a Salamander, Ignis always cooked in his downtime.
It was one of his few hobbies—and sharing food with others made it even better. Whether on construction duty or among his battle-brothers, cooking for his comrades always brought him joy.
"Then we'll need a set of custom-sized kitchenware," Nicole sighed. "No idea if anyone makes utensils for someone your size. I'm starting to regret hiring you—our expenses are skyrocketing."
"I'll talk to Phaethon about that toy store job," Nicole said to Ignis. "If we land it, you and I will handle the run together."
"I'm coming too, boss!" Billy raised his hand eagerly.
"You're staying put until your repairs are done," Nicole shut him down instantly.
"And you, Anby—take a few days off to rest. I've got a task for you." Nicole brushed her hair aside. "I'll write down the details—I want you to investigate the missing safe."