Hearing the noise outside, Wise came out of his room. Before he could even react, Inky leaped straight into his arms.
As if declaring her territory, she turned her head and let out a sharp meow at the other "cat" nearby. Seeing this, the other party clearly reached her limit.
"Hey, don't be so arrogant! Nya!"
Nekomata leaped forward the moment the words left her mouth, but just as she got close to Inky, a strong arm stopped her.
"Alright, alright, Neko. I only took Inky in because someone asked me to. She used to live on the streets. Now that she finally has a home, don't get jealous."
Wise spoke calmly as his hand landed on the cat's head. His words seemed to stir something in Nekomata, memories of her own wandering past flashing through her mind as she glanced at Inky again.
After a short silence, she snorted.
"Nya, whatever! A great Cat like me won't bother with a tiny kitten anyway."
Hearing that, Inky let out a friendly sound in response, directed at Nekomata. Just like that, the tension between them disappeared.
"It ended just like that? I really thought the problem between her and Inky would be hard to deal with. You're impressive, Brother," Belle said, smiling slyly.
"Don't put it like that, Belle. Nekomata just has a good heart."
Those words made Nekomata even happier, fully convinced that Wise understood her perfectly.
Once everything calmed down, Wise received a message from Soldier 11. The rebels had made their move.
That night, Wise arrived at a quiet corner of Six Street, where Soldier 11 was already waiting for him.
"Good evening, Proxy. You're 35 seconds late this time. That's 17.5 one-handed push-ups logged. Also, there's been a change in the operation."
"Oh? And what changed?"
"Mr. Mole set a condition. Instead of him and the rebels offering support, I must complete the mission alone. 'With the famous Phaethon protecting you, one person should be enough.' That's what he said."
Once Soldier 11 finished explaining, the siblings and Fairy couldn't help but feel the plan was extremely dangerous, even though the other side had already accepted it.
They all understood that if she was captured, Soldier 11 would be permanently labeled as a rebel.
Even so, Soldier 11 thought pulling back now would just make the rebels more wary, and sneaking into the enemy again later would be a nightmare.
If it meant finding the rebels and delivering justice, she was ready to take the risk.
'Huh… this really gives off some chuunibyou vibes. Maybe I've watched too many movies. Still, she's got the guts to do it.'
Anyway, since the client had already decided, they had no choice but to follow through.
Soon after, Soldier 11 brought Eous into the Hollow. Combining his help with her own power, they arrived at the meeting point swiftly.
The armed data the rebels were after was actually just weapon wreckage left behind by the Defense Force.
To avoid drawing attention, Soldier 11 proceeded alone, while Wise, acting through the Bangboo, searched for an alternate exit from the Hollow.
Before Fairy could even finish running her calculations, Soldier 11 was already back and rushing over to him.
"Get down! Cover your ears!"
She shouted the warning, then immediately threw herself at Wise, knocking him to the ground and shielding him while covering his ears.
As a result, Wise ended up buried beneath her chest.
However, there was no time to dwell on it. As Soldier 11 finished counting down the last three seconds, a massive explosion erupted nearby.
"Are you alright? During combat, obeying orders takes priority."
Wise remained quiet, pressing his fingers to his temple as a headache crept in.
'You gave the order and jumped in yourself.'
When he noticed her cheeks slightly flushed, he swallowed the words he was about to say. But Soldier 11 spoke up anyway.
"Ahem. Not every soldier is fortunate enough to have a capable senior watching over them. I gathered experimental data from the damaged machine. If its remaining body had not been corroded by Ether, my action would have forced its self-destruct sequence. And it did. It was a loyal and dependable soldier, worthy of being our military equipment."
Upon seeing Soldier 11 still caught up in mourning the self-destructed "good soldier," Wise finally reminded her that they still had work to do.
"The 'last words' of that good soldier were way too loud. Won't that draw attention?" he asked, feeling uneasy about it.
"I'm not worried about enemies. I'm worried about my own unit, the one responsible for cleaning up the weapons. If the explosion pulls in teammates who don't know what's going on, they might recognize me and start doubting my loyalty."
Soldier 11 said this while rubbing her forehead, a headache forming just from thinking about it.
After a brief pause, she continued, "Maybe you can't fully understand, but to a soldier, loyalty is everything. That's why I asked you to search for other paths. I don't want anyone I know to see me doing this."
"I understand. Then let's hurry and move," Wise said, heading forward and pointing the way.
Soldier 11 immediately followed, scooping him up again and advancing in the direction he indicated.
Eventually, they exited the Hollow without any complications and later met again in person.
"It seems my identity remains intact, all thanks to you, Scarlet Melody…" She called him by the wrong name again.
"Uh, you're giving me so many titles they won't even fit on a business card..."
Soldier 11 didn't seem to mind Wise's complaint, or perhaps she ignored it automatically.
"Ahem, speaking of that, how does it feel to get your hands dirty?"
This time, Wise's words made Soldier 11 fall silent for a moment, as if she were carefully forming her answer.
"When people expect their hands to get dirty, they wear gloves. I am merely the Defense Force's gloves, so the stains on me are irrelevant."
"Does it really not matter? Everyone has their own feelings. And Soldier 11, you often speak of loyalty. Acting like this can't be easy."
Wise had some understanding of how conflicted she felt.
"...Mm."
She didn't argue back. Under Wise's gaze, she finally revealed her true thoughts.
"Betrayal is disgusting. But right now, enduring that feeling is what true loyalty means. Even if I'm covered in filth, I won't mistake myself for a real traitor, if that's what you're asking."
After that, her mood clearly dropped. Seeing her like this, Wise spoke up.
"Then... if you don't mind, can I witness that loyalty myself?"
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