Miyabi was holding Wise's hand tightly. Although the soft touch wasn't unpleasant, it still felt a little awkward.
"No. I jumped over eleven motorcycles, four jeeps, and five soldiers while chasing your vehicle through the explosions. Finding you in the Hollow was pure luck. If you run away again, it will be difficult to catch you. The Hoshimi Family will not make the same mistake three times."
Miyabi rejected Wise's suggestion without hesitation.
"Uh… shouldn't it be 'not make the same mistake twice'? Leaving that aside, I promise I won't run away. Besides, we have nowhere to run now. Without a Carrot to navigate the Hollow, we'll only get even more lost."
Although Wise's ability allowed him to connect with the outside world, he couldn't directly analyze the situation inside the Hollow, nor could he take Miyabi out with him.
And if he chose to leave by himself, Miyabi's favorability would probably plummet.
After all, she didn't trust him nearly as much as Yanagi and Soukaku yet, so fluctuations in her opinion of him were perfectly normal.
Hearing Wise's words, Miyabi nodded slightly.
"Then let's sit down for now. The Hollow survival guide says it's wiser to wait for rescue in a safe location. My companions will definitely enter the Hollow to find me. We only need to hold on until then."
After speaking, Miyabi lowered her gaze to the sword in her hand, staring at it thoughtfully as though pondering something.
Wise, however, spoke again, hoping to persuade her to try another approach.
"Miyabi, do you really think this will work?"
"…You mean being trapped in the Hollow on an important election day, knowing there's a dangerous unresolved case outside while my teammates are risking their lives fighting the enemy, and all I can do is kneel here and feel the wind? Is that the situation you mean?"
After saying that, Miyabi shook her head. A trace of helplessness appeared on her usually composed face.
"No, I don't think it will work either. But I have no other choice right now. All I can do is practice maintaining a cool demeanor while anxiety and frustration burn inside me."
Although Wise wanted to ask what kind of practice that even was, he also found it strangely charming.
"Oh, I see! Well, since you also want to actively break this deadlock… why not hear out my proposal? How about we cooperate? I'm not bragging, but I really am a veteran Proxy, and we've worked together before…"
"Hm? You mean..."
"That's right! Actually, I'm Pha— Wait a second, Miyabi, calm down first. Take your hand off the sword hilt..."
Wise hadn't even finished half his sentence before Miyabi had already gripped Tailless vigilantly, looking ready to draw her blade at any moment.
"I am very calm. The reason I'm doing this is simply because the situation has changed. Before, I thought you were merely an ordinary person with some combat ability. But now, you are someone capable of contending with me. Naturally, I must take you seriously. Anyway, explain the details of this cooperation first."
Not only did Miyabi refuse to release Wise's hand, she tightened her grip even further. Though he felt somewhat helpless about it, he still began explaining his plan.
"It's called the Maze-Solving Algorithm. Simply put, although the Hollow contains all kinds of extraordinary dangers, its tendency to make people lose their way means it can essentially be treated like a maze."
Finding the route through a maze and locating the exit was actually a systematic mathematical discipline that had existed since the Old Civilization.
In short, as long as there was enough foundational data, even the most complicated maze could eventually be solved.
"Enough foundational data… could it be Hollow observation data?"
Miyabi pinched her chin thoughtfully, tilting her face slightly upward.
Wise immediately nodded and said, "Exactly. Observation data is the cornerstone of Hollow exploration, and it's also the raw material used to create Carrots."
"So Proxies are capable of finding exits in the Hollow through observation data?"
"Yes. At least trained Proxies can. Honestly, this should be considered a basic Proxy skill. It's just that most people don't pay much attention to it anymore since they rely on Carrots or high-performance computers to handle the calculations."
Wise himself hadn't used this method in a very long time. Nowadays, he had Fairy, and even before that, he usually relied on pre-collected data.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
"Anyway, there's a way out! As long as we find an observation data stake first, you can leave the rest to me!"
After hearing the explanation, the fox Thiren girl pondered briefly before calmly nodding.
"I understand. Let us temporarily cease hostilities and cooperate. However, I must warn you: although your strength is impressive, you are still not my equal at the moment. If you attempt to escape, I will inevitably catch up and apprehend you again. Prey targeted by the Hoshimi Family has never escaped."
"…Don't worry. I intended to cooperate from the beginning, so why would I run away?"
After receiving Wise's answer, Miyabi released his hand without hesitation, finally allowing him some freedom of movement.
The two quickly located a data stake, but during the data-reading process…
"Miyabi, your sword has been trembling and making strange noises for a while now… Is it really okay?"
"No, it's nothing. You don't need to concern yourself with such minor matters. Focus on reading the data. I will protect your safety."
Seeing how firm her tone was, Wise could only let the matter go for now, though he remained cautious.
Once they collected the first data stake, the two quickly moved toward the next location.
Although the journey remained smooth, Wise gradually sensed something strange. The Ether activity in the surrounding area seemed to be increasing.
He quickly discovered the reason.
This Hollow observation data stake controlled an Ether siphon tower, and the overflowing Ether inside it was causing the surrounding Ether activity to surge.
The cracking process attracted numerous Ethereals, but Miyabi dispatched them effortlessly.
However, upon closer inspection, Wise noticed the marks left behind by Tailless were still visible.
"How is the situation?"
After killing the last Ethereal, Miyabi calmly sheathed her sword, seemingly unaware that anything was wrong.
But at that exact moment, strange blue flames suddenly erupted from the blade. The violent force even knocked the scabbard from Miyabi's hand.
"What happened? This… what is this?!"
Wise stared at Miyabi as she gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands.
She appeared to be desperately suppressing something, while faint voices echoed from within the demonic blade itself.
Men, women, old, young.
All of them repeating a single word.
"Slice."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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