"Nicole, Wise, it seems what that short uncle said might actually be true. What should we do next? Take him to Public Security, nya? But the bad guys are in Public Security too... sigh"
As Nekomata spoke, Anby nodded in agreement beside her.
"Moreover, it's election season. All of New Eridu is swarming with Public Security personnel. There's no way to tell which officers or departments are connected to the enemy."
In other words, seeking help from Public Security right now could easily mean walking straight into the enemy's trap.
"Hahaha! Don't worry, everyone. Unlike this uncle, I, Nicole, am the CEO of Cunning Hares both in name and ability! I already prepared countermeasures for this!"
Nicole puffed out her ample chest and spoke with complete composure.
"You've all played Animal Chess before, right? Rabbits eat mice, wolves eat rabbits, tigers eat wolves, elephants eat tigers, and mice eat elephants!"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"The point is, in this world, there's always something that can counter something else! Using a tiger to swallow a wolf is the wisdom of a rabbit. And now, to suppress the tiger... We'll bring out the elephant!"
Listening to Nicole's analogy, Wise couldn't help falling into deep thought.
"Bring out the elephant... There aren't many groups in New Eridu with influence comparable to Public Security. The Defense Force, the White Star Institute, and... oh. Could it be...?"
The figures of Section 6 immediately appeared in Wise's mind. Seeing his expression, Nicole grinned proudly.
"Hehe! Exactly that 'could it be'! The one I invited is the youngest and biggest elephant in New Eridu right now!"
Just as she finished speaking, a loud horn blared nearby.
Several small trucks marked with the words "Boar Rush" drove into the open area where everyone had gathered. A cute, sleepy-eyed young woman poked her head out of the driver's side window.
"Mm, perfect timing. Thanks for riding the Boar Rush special shuttle. Your guests have arrived~"
The driver was Piper, and the figures climbing out behind her were all too familiar to Wise.
"Wah! Is this the Outer Ring? So amazing! The sky is spinning, the ground is shaking, and even the air smells dizzying!"
Soukaku staggered out of the truck, swaying slightly, though her face remained full of excitement.
Yanagi followed closely behind and immediately spoke with concern.
"That's motion sickness, Soukaku. Hold my hand and rest for a bit. And Harumasa, are you still alright?"
Among everyone in Section 6, besides Soukaku, the only other person prone to motion sickness was probably the frail and sickly Harumasa.
And just as Yanagi expected, he looked moments away from collapsing.
"L-Let me catch my breath... This driver has serious problems! I feel like I'm about to... ugh... oh—ugh?!"
Before he could finish, Harumasa stumbled to the side and started dry-heaving.
That left only the Chief of Section 6, Miyabi.
As expressionless as ever, she walked directly toward Nicole.
"A meeting in the Outer Ring, away from prying eyes, on such an important day... you'd better genuinely have important information to report, Nicole of Cunning Hares."
Nicole was about to respond, but with two members of Section 6 currently suffering from severe motion sickness, everyone paused to let them recover first.
Harumasa's face had already turned disturbingly pale, and he kept muttering things like, "How can someone race while driving a truck?!" and "I'd rather walk back than ever ride in her car again!"
Meanwhile, Piper felt she had driven perfectly steadily. She had merely pressed the accelerator a little harder than usual.
Wise had even promised to reimburse her fuel expenses, though the bill had quietly been placed on Nicole's tab, something she still knew nothing about.
"Hmm~ hmm~! So, Wise, surprised by my connections yet?"
Nicole's smug laughter lasted only a moment before a familiar voice sounded behind her.
"Ah, it's Wise! You're in the Outer Ring too! But why are you here too, just like Yanagi?"
Soukaku swayed over and immediately threw herself into Wise's arms.
Following behind her was, naturally, Yanagi.
She also looked genuinely surprised to see Wise here.
Still, she first checked Soukaku's condition, reminding her to rest properly after taking motion sickness medicine before finally turning toward Wise.
"Wise, why are you in the Outer Ring too?"
"Ah, because of something very important. You'll understand soon enough, Yanagi, but it's probably best to prepare yourself mentally first," Wise answered mysteriously.
Yanagi didn't press further. Instead, she quietly began wondering whether the matter Nicole had invited them here for was somehow related to Wise as well.
Meanwhile, Nicole stared at the interaction between Wise, Soukaku, and Yanagi with her mouth hanging open.
"Y-You know each other?! Then why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
Nicole looked at Wise speechlessly.
But honestly, Wise didn't know how to answer. He simply knew a lot of people and got along well with them.
Instead, he found himself more curious about how Nicole knew Miyabi. The two hardly seemed like people who would ever cross paths willingly.
Nicole explained that it was a story from long ago.
Back then, Miyabi had only recently joined HAND. During an outdoor mission, she underestimated how dangerous the streets could be.
As a result, she got completely swindled and even had an important family heirloom stolen.
And naturally, the culprit had been Nicole.
Coincidentally, that had also been Nicole's very first business deal on the streets. Her first "easy target" turned out to be the sheltered young lady of a martial family whose street experience was practically nonexistent.
"Anyway, I returned the sword eventually... and after a bunch of stuff happened, we got to know each other. Don't worry, though. She is very reasonable and won't wrongly accuse innocent people. As long as we explain everything clearly, she should be willing to cooperate with us against Bringer."
During the following conversation, Miyabi also expressed surprise at seeing Wise there, and it became obvious that she, too, had a fairly good relationship with him.
After hearing the full explanation, Hollow Special Operations Section 6 requested to interrogate Perlman privately.
The four executives quickly formed a makeshift interrogation room around him in one corner of the open area.
A few moments later...
"Is this really okay, nya? That short uncle has already cried and laughed several times. Ah, now he's crying on the ground again... What kind of questions are they asking to get reactions like that?"
Nekomata's two ears stood upright as she covered her mouth with one hand. Her expression carried equal parts curiosity, surprise, and fear.
"Defense Force interrogations can produce similar effects, but they usually require tools. Achieving this through conversation alone... these executives are exceptionally talented."
Anby offered her calm evaluation.
And just then, Miyabi suddenly appeared behind Nicole.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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