"Phew, home at last. Soukaku, you must be exhausted too, right? I'll go run a bath now. You should go rest in your room first..." Yanagi said as she pushed open the door.
Then she noticed an extra pair of shoes by the entrance and immediately thought of someone.
"You're back? Have you had dinner? I've already run the bath. Soukaku, you can go wash up first, or if you want to eat more, that's fine too."
"Ah! It's you, Wise! Yay, I want to eat! I want to eat!"
Soukaku happily kicked off her shoes and eagerly ran toward the dining table.
Although she had already eaten at the association before coming home, that didn't matter to her.
After Soukaku left, Yanagi suddenly took a deep breath and walked straight over to Wise, wrapping her arms around him as though trying to release all the tension she had been carrying.
Seeing this, Wise said nothing. He simply returned the embrace, holding her gently.
He knew Yanagi must be exhausted after everything she had gone through that day.
Yanagi leaned against his chest, closed her eyes, and relaxed for a while. Only when Soukaku's puzzled voice drifted over from inside the house did the two finally separate.
That night, after Soukaku had showered and returned to her room to sleep, Wise and Yanagi entered the bathroom together, as they usually did.
While they showered, Wise helped wash her hair. Her soft pink locks felt pleasant to the touch, so he was especially careful, afraid of tugging them too hard.
"Oh, the conditioner seems to be used up!"
Yanagi suddenly remembered this important detail. She had planned to buy some on her way home from work, but so many things had happened that she had completely forgotten.
She was about to skip using conditioner this time when she noticed a delicate bottle sitting nearby.
"Conditioner? And it's the new model from Calista!"
"Yeah, I bought it. I noticed you'd been using this brand before, and I saw the new model on the way here, so I picked one up. Looks like it came in handy."
The brand was indeed quite popular. Not only did Yanagi use it, but Lucy did as well.
Of course, Wise himself had little need for beauty-care products. After all, with a charm value of 220, maintaining his appearance at its peak was hardly a challenge.
Later that night, as Yanagi nestled in Wise's arms, she chose not to mention what had happened that day.
<<>>
Two days later, inside the Hollow Special Operations Section 6 office at the HAND Building...
"...So the enemy planted a virus on us through those badges?"
After listening to Yanagi's explanation, Miyabi voiced her conclusion.
However, Yanagi shook her head.
"Calling it a virus isn't entirely accurate. It's a set of characteristic codes, not something inherently dangerous, and it doesn't actively transmit signals. Its sole purpose is to be read when the wearer logs into a VR training machine for a full-body scan. Once it's read, it becomes a virus. It opens an interface that allows the mastermind to invade the system... at least, that's what the technical staff reported."
"Then doesn't that make Phaethon being able to directly enter the system even more impressive? But how did you know there was a virus hidden in the badge?"
In response to Harumasa's question, Yanagi explained that it had simply been a matter of deduction.
By reviewing everything that had happened, she realized the only unusual variable was their interaction with fans before the operation.
After all, to reassure the citizens who trusted HAND, upper management had always encouraged its executives to treat fans kindly whenever possible.
While that certainly didn't extend to fulfilling bizarre requests like letting fans step on them, accepting and wearing gifts from supporters was perfectly normal.
"The biggest suspect is naturally the person with the strongest motive to target Hollow Special Operations Section 6 at this point in time."
"Oh, maybe it's Section 5?"
"Harumasa, now isn't the time for inside jokes. Chief, you already understand what I'm trying to say, don't you?"
Yanagi turned toward Miyabi.
Miyabi nodded, her tone filled with confidence.
"Null_Face. We're only one step away from destroying his organization. If he's going to make a desperate move, now is his only chance."
"Exactly. Null_Face once successfully exploited a loophole in the HIA system, which gave him access to internal intelligence. More importantly, using hacker groups to conduct electronic warfare has always been one of Null_Face's specialties."
Hearing that, Miyabi immediately picked up on the key point of Yanagi's explanation.
"So, the remnants of Null_Face, who usually operate independently, should be gathering together now, right?"
"Yes. This is their last stand, and it's also what I was about to mention. We recently received a report regarding the location of Null_Face's stronghold," Yanagi explained.
Upon hearing this, everyone thought of the same person.
"Was it Phaethon?" Miyabi asked immediately, but Yanagi didn't confirm it.
"The technical department couldn't trace the source of the information, but I personally believe it was most likely him. He possesses considerable strength and exceptional networking skills. If we could recruit someone like him into Section 6, future operations would become much easier."
"Yes, Harumasa's suggestion has merit, but let's discuss that later. For now, let's focus on the matter at hand and move out."
Hearing Yanagi's words, Harumasa let out a helpless groan, but he still picked up his weapon and prepared for the mission.
That night, HAND resumed the previously canceled press conference.
All members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6 attended and officially announced that the illegal Proxy organization Null_Face had been apprehended.
Meanwhile, inside the video store on Sixth Street, the siblings sat on the sofa in the first-floor room, watching the broadcast on TV.
"Brother, did you hear that? Section 6 held a press conference and announced they wiped out Null_Face. Hehe, now nobody can ever threaten our legendary Proxy status again!"
Belle was clearly delighted.
"They couldn't threaten it anyway, but their response was pretty fast," Wise replied.
This accomplishment should benefit Section 6 considerably. At the very least, Yanagi ought to have a little more free time for a while.
"Brother, I just saw the news, and suddenly I feel like playing VR. Want to come with me?"
"VR? Sure..."
The game's current difficulty wasn't much of a challenge for him, but since his sister wanted to play, there was no reason to refuse.
After making their decision, the two headed to the HIA together. Coincidentally, Yanagi was there promoting the event, surrounded by a large crowd of fans.
"Welcome, citizens. Come experience the latest VR system... Ah!"
The moment she spotted Wise and Belle, Yanagi looked genuinely surprised. She clearly hadn't expected to run into them there.
"Wise, Belle, are you here to play VR too?"
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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