A few days later, Nicole arrived at the video store with good news for the siblings.
"...In short, thanks to Nekomata, the Red Fang Gang will not bother me anymore. Also, the matter you asked me to investigate finally has some progress."
She was referring to the safe where Fairy had been found, but the Red Fang Gang themselves did not know much about its background.
All they knew was that Miguel Silver had accepted a commission from some mysterious client, and the only instruction was to retrieve a safe from a research institute.
Anything beyond that, like what was inside or who it was meant for, Miguel Silver kept to himself.
"Wait a second, Nicole, you mean after all this time you still barely learned anything about the safe? If that is the case, then the investigation fee..."
Wise's words instantly sent Nicole into a panic, since she still owed the video store a large amount of money.
"Hold on, hold on, do not try lowering the payment. I know I have been tied up with the Vision Corporation lawsuit, and that ended up slowing your commission..."
"But the matter of that safe is really difficult to investigate! I also want to help those poor residents who escaped death get their compensation as soon as possible, after all, we rescued them together..."
Once Nicole said that, the brother and sister felt the moral pressure slam into them.
"Nicole, thank you for putting us on the moral high ground. We will let you off this time."
Although Wise had never planned to charge Nicole in the first place, after hearing her words he realized that even if he wanted to lower the price, he simply could not bring himself to do it.
"Oh, don't look so down. How about this..."
Seeing Wise's helpless expression, Nicole suddenly seemed to think of something. She leaned in with a playful smile, her large breasts pressing firmly against his arm.
"As compensation for the temporary suspension of the investigation, plus the outstanding debts from our previous jobs, how about I repay you with my body?"
She shot him a bold wink, clearly enjoying his reaction. Wise nearly lost his cool, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he spoke.
"With how much Cunning Hares owes us, it's kind of impossible for Nicole to handle it all alone."
"Ah, Wise is so greedy. How about adding Anby too? Give her a hamburger and she'll do anything..." Nicole teased.
"Enough! Both of you, stop right there!"
Belle had been holding back, but once they kept going, she couldn't take it anymore. She rushed in and forced herself between them.
"Such a pity, I was so close to clearing the whole debt."
"Nicole, stop talking about that! And brother, you are absolutely not allowed to think about it!"
Under Belle's fierce glare, Nicole let go of the idea of paying with her body, at least for now.
Wise, meanwhile, suddenly remembered something.
"So, Nicole, what happened to Nekomata after that night? I haven't seen her around." He was genuinely curious about her.
The memory of the dinner party came back to him. He remembered sneaking in a few touches to her ear whenever everyone else was looking the other way.
Honestly, what was he supposed to do? A cat girl was sitting right beside him, and after she got a little tipsy, she just collapsed onto his arm.
Those soft ears brushed against his hand, and he simply could not stop himself from rubbing them a couple of times.
'Wait, now that I think about it, can you even get drunk from drinking juice?
Anby found out about it later. She was clearly a bit upset at first, but Wise coaxed her for a while and even promised to take her out on a proper date.
As for Nicole, she slumped a little after hearing Wise's question. She looked downcast, like it was tough for her to talk about it.
"So she really left, huh? That's a shame," Wise murmured regretfully.
"A shame about what, nya?" a questioning voice came from behind him.
"Because if I want to pet a cat later, I'll have to go look for Inky."
"Nya! Wise, what are you even saying?!" the girl shouted, her voice full of shock.
"Oh? Nekomata, so you didn't leave after all," Wise said with pretend surprise, even though he had already figured out what was going on.
He had only wanted to tease her, but it looked like he overdid it.
"Don't change the subject! What do you mean by petting Inky? Who is Inky?! Tell me the truth! Nya!"
Nekomata got so emotional that she jumped straight into Wise's chest, insisting on the truth. Amist the chaos he could fell her sof flat chest pressing against his
"Alright, Nekomata, I was just joking, please let me go."
Wise tried to calm her down by rubbing her ears, which were standing straight from all the excitement.
"Nya! What are you doin—hmm~ Nyaah~"
As he touched her ears, he felt her body tremble a little while a small sound of bliss slipped out.
"Ahem, um, Nekomata, are the photos I asked you to develop ready?" Nicole said from the side, cutting into their little moment.
Nekomata froze the instant she heard Nicole's voice. Only then did she realize what she was doing. Her cheeks warmed as she slipped off Wise in a hurry.
Trying to ease the awkward mood, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the photos.
"Yes, the group photos are ready. They came out really nice, very clear. This one's for Wise, and this one's for Belle..."
After receiving the photos from the Nekomata, Wise looked through them carefully. They were surprisingly well taken, and everyone's face was perfectly clear.
Anby and Belle sat beside him, while Nekomata, who had taken the pictures, ended up filling nearly a third of the frame.
But right now, Wise and Belle were glaring at Nicole with clear frustration.
"Nicole, you went too far tricking our feelings like that!" Belle snapped, her voice tight with anger.
She was talking about Nicole's fake sadness that had made them believe Nekomata was already gone.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, really so sorry. Maybe as compensation I co—"
"Stop! Do not even think about saying that again!"
When Belle saw Nicole glance at her brother again, she immediately understood what Nicole was planning and cut her off before she could continue.
"Alright, alright, time to officially welcome our newest member. Welcome to the Cunning Hares— " Nicole said as she made a presenting gesture.
"I'm Nekomiya Mana, but you can call me Nekomata! I work at Cunning Hares. Please treat me well from now on, Nya!" She struck a cute pose, flashing a peace sign as she finished speaking.
The cheerful chatter and introductions continued around him. After that, Wise headed for the second floor, where he quickly found a spot and hung the photo on the wall.
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