| Chief, how are you now? Are you alright? |
Yanagi immediately sent a message to check on Hoshimi Miyabi's condition. Miyabi, finally freed up for a moment, returned to the group in person to answer.
"Not good. The strike should have felt crisp, like tapping a porcelain bottle with a wooden mallet, but instead it felt like chalk scraping across a blackboard."
Soukaku moved up beside her to interpret the strange phrasing.
"Chief was trying to say that a blow sharp enough to cut through butter ended up hitting the cutting board instead."
Somehow, Hoshimi Miyabi's already confusing words only got even messier after that explanation.
"The Chief probably meant that Nineveh wasn't seriously harmed, so we need to verify its current location."
Deputy Chief Yanagi, as usual, turned Miyabi's confusing words into something normal people could understand.
"In that case, I'll handle the scouting. With a target that big, there's no way we'll lose it."
Harumasa volunteered, while Yanagi kept an eye on the increasing number of Ethereal gathering around them.
"The number of Ethereal nearby is increasing, probably attracted by the battle between the Chief and Nineveh. We'll handle clearing out the Ethereal, okay, Chief Miyabi?"
Hoshimi Miyabi nodded at the report, her voice steady as she replied, "Okay, Section 6, prepare for engagement."
At her command, the squad immediately began their operation. Wise, having wrapped up his introduction task, lounged off to the side like a regular Bangboo.
But the instant he moved to their side, a pair of hands lifted him up.
Turning around, he spotted Hoshimi Miyabi resting nearby. She looked almost thrilled, like a fox catching sight of a rabbit. And honestly, that felt about right.
Wise could even see her ears twitch slightly.
"Little guy, you deserve a lot of credit this time."
She patted his head, sat down, and settled him on her lap. Even as she tried to relax, she kept her eyes on her squad, ready to step in the moment something went wrong.
Since nothing happened even after the cleanup ended, she never needed to intervene, which was ideal.
The group left Hollow Zero, and Wise disconnected from Eous before heading to the outpost.
As soon as he walked in, he heard Yanagi and the others talking.
"Although this operation was sudden, it turned into a close call. Let's return this little one we picked up."
Yanagi was referring to Eous, who had regained its original consciousness and was now hopping around at everyone's feet.
"Honestly, whether it's navigation or reacting to sudden changes, this little one's outperforming the standard Bangboo units from Hollow Special Operations."
"Maybe it's got some secret AI Carrot data installed? Or its smart core got some special tuning?"
Harumasa offered his guess, completely unaware that Eous only seemed so capable because its master had been quietly guiding it from behind the scenes.
Everyone was focused on Eous's unusual situation, but Soukaku, our little cutie, had a completely different way of looking at things.
"If Harumasa says that, the Bangboo in our office will get really sad."
Yanagi shook her head after hearing Harumasa's comment.
"No, this Bangboo isn't owned by the White Star Institute. It belongs to an independent investigator."
Yanagi said this while gesturing toward Wise as he walked in. Noticing he was being mentioned, Wise stepped forward to introduce himself.
"Uh, hello everyone, my name is Wise, and I'm here to apply for a temporary investigator position."
"Wow, what a handsome Big Brother!" Soukaku said with her bright, straightforward personality as she stepped closer to Wise without hesitation.
[Ding! New favorability target detected.]
[Name: Soukaku]
[Gender: Female]
[Charm: 93]
[Unique Traits: Very soft blue skin and pointed horns]
[Hobbies: Delicious food, can literally eat anything edible and sometimes inedible]
[Current Status: A little hungry]
[Current Favorability toward Host: 35]
[Evaluation: A cheerful girl with an endless appetite. Be careful taking her out to eat unless your wallet is prepared.]
[Inner Thoughts: This Big Brother smells so fragrant. Whatever he ate must have been delicious, hehehe~]
Seeing Soukaku's inner thoughts, Wise couldn't help thinking 'very fragrant smell? She must have caught the scent of the food I had before leaving.'
"I see... I heard the Institute recently opened recruitment for civilian investigation teams."
At that moment, Yanagi remembered a piece of news she had heard earlier, and as she looked at the bright, handsome Wise standing in front of her, she couldn't help feeling a little warmer toward him.
[Ding! Target: Yanagi has increased her favorability toward the host by 30. Her current favorability is now 30. Additionally, 300 Emotional Value has been obtained.]
[Current Emotional Value: 9100]
[Ding! New favorability targets detected.]
[Name: Yanagi]
[Gender: Female]
[Charm: 95]
[Unique Traits: If she makes a promise, she sticks to it until the end.]
[Hobbies: Work and eat red bean buns]
[Current Status: Good and stable]
[Current Favorability toward Host: 30]
[Evaluation: A workaholic woman who often acts like a mother to Soukaku. If she's ready to give up her job for you, she's already yours.]
[Inner Thoughts: This Bangboo is really useful. Keeping contact with this young man could really help Section 6. I should think about how to strengthen our contact...]
While Yanagi was still thinking about what she could gain from having Wise work with them in the future, Hoshimi Miyabi looked at him with a serious expression and spoke in a solemn tone.
"Next time, I won't let you off the hook either."
"Oh? Please spare me. I'm just a harmless, law-abiding citizen who likes helping people."
Wise knew she didn't mean anything by it, but with her strength and tone, it still felt a little intimidating.
"I'm sorry. What Chief Miyabi means is that we hope to work with you again. We still have official duties to finish and need to return to the office to file our report. We'll be leaving now."
"Goodbye, handsome Big Brother. I'll come visit you when you're free," Shoukau said, waving happily.
With that, they left, and Wise, unsurprisingly, received the status of temporary investigator.
He also took the chance to look at Miyabi's panel. The system had mentioned her affection rising back on the Hollow, but he hadn't checked it yet.
[Ding! New favorability targets detected.]
[Name: Miyabi]
[Gender: Female]
[Charm: 97]
[Unique Traits: Cold on the outside, warm inside. Her words can be hard to decipher.]
[Hobbies: Collecting swords, eating melons, doing spiritual training]
[Current Status: Slightly fatigued]
[Current Favorability toward Host: 25]
[Evaluation: She takes her duties seriously and works tirelessly to maintain New Eridu's order. Her goal is to build a city system that never collapses. And whatever you do, don't let her find out about you and your teacher until her affection reaches 90.]
[Inner Thoughts: That Bangboo was kinda cute.]