"That's so nice."
"Indeed."
"They finally reconciled."
"I want to join in too."
??? x3
Belle's remark caused question marks to pop up over the heads of the other three.
What's the deal, little sister? It's a moment of sisterly affection, why do you want to join in?
"Sorry, my sister misspoke."
Wise hurriedly pulled Belle behind him. You're a young girl, why are you saying such scandalous things?
"Ahem, did we forget something?"
"I feel like we did too, but I can't recall what. Whatever, let's talk about it when we remember."
After Belle's interruption, Nicole also remembered that she seemed to have forgotten something, but what exactly was it...?
At the entrance of Crete Hollow, a white-haired android wearing a red jacket stood all alone, blowing in the cold wind.
"Why haven't Boss Nicole and the others come back yet?"
Billy, unaware that he had been forgotten, could only stare blankly in the direction Nicole had left, looking helpless and pitiful.
*
Random Play
Twiggy and Anby had reconciled. Next should be the happy ending where everyone gathers around to make dumplings together.
But the reality was that the Cunning Hares and Geno were once again in a standoff.
"In other words, that safe is currently in your hands."
"That's right, and the key is with you, correct?"
Facing Nicole's interrogation, Geno's expression didn't change.
He had also realized that Nicole possessed intelligence regarding the safe's key.
Twiggy and Anby stood on their respective sides. Although they had reconciled and repaired their sisterly bond, when it came to matters of survival, they absolutely could not be careless.
Currently, the mysterious client could not be contacted, and both sides held one bargaining chip. Only the person who obtained both items could get the contents of the safe.
...As well as next month's living expenses.
Two teams, both facing financial deficits for various reasons, were about to unfold a unique life-and-death struggle.
The Proxy siblings stood to the side, watching the two groups and the heavy atmosphere. At this moment, they dutifully sat on the sofa, acting as the audience.
There was no helping it; after all, the two of them were just 'ordinary people' with zero combat ability.
"Things have come to this; there is no turning back."
"Winner takes all, loser eats dust!"
Geno and Nicole both made declarations of victory, the distance between them closing in, closer and closer.
Suddenly! Both of them reached out their hands and waved them at each other.
"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"
It was a draw.
"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"
Still a draw.
"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"
Finally, the winner was revealed.
Looking at the hand gestures they had both thrown, the corners of Geno's mouth couldn't help but rise. Conversely, Nicole looked at the scissors she had thrown, a look of regret appearing on her face.
"This time doesn't count! Best two out of three!"
"Hey, we agreed on it. Changing your mind at a time like this—do you have no shame?"
However, facing Geno's mockery, Nicole's expression became even uglier. She really couldn't swallow this loss.
As a woman who could build up the Cunning Hares while owing an unknown amount of external debt, Nicole expressed: Shame? What is that?
But right now, Geno's status wasn't that of a creditor she could toy with at will, but a friend of equal standing.
Between friends, credit is absolute.
This was Nicole's life motto.
"So that's how it is. Belle, give the safe's password to us."
"No problem."
Seeing that this 'battle' had reached a conclusion, Belle jumped up from the sofa with a whoosh, her ten slender fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard.
But very quickly, she sensed that something was wrong with the situation.
"Hmm? This is..."
Wise discovered his sister's abnormality and hurriedly leaned over.
"What's wrong? Belle?"
"There seems to be a problem with our computer. I can't access the system at all right now."
"What?"
Belle's words gave Wise a fright, and he quickly began helping his sister check the computer.
It wasn't just Wise; the others were also very surprised.
Why did a perfectly fine computer suddenly malfunction?
"Hmph, it seems you aren't too stupid."
A burst of unfamiliar electronic sound transmitted from the speakers. At the same time, an unfamiliar icon lit up on the screen.
"Hello there, [Phaethons]. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is [White Noise], and I am a hacker."
The voice on the screen introduced his background at an unhurried pace.
And White Noise's words surprised Nicole somewhat.
"White Noise? I remember that's a top-tier hacker active on the Inter-Knot and major websites."
"Oh? Someone actually recognizes me? That saves quite a bit of wasted breath."
White Noise hadn't expected there to be people here who knew him, but he clearly didn't care much.
"To make a long story short, Phaethon and his little friends, I have temporarily taken over this computer. Naturally, the data stored inside it also belongs to me."
This sentence stimulated Belle's nerves, but Wise grabbed her hand and shook his head, signaling her to remain calm.
The Proxy siblings used a system called HDD. Stored inside it, aside from their accounts, was a massive amount of Hollow data accumulated from their years as Proxies.
This system was incredibly important to the siblings; it absolutely could not be destroyed by the other party.
"So, what do you want?"
Seeing the ugly expressions on the Proxy siblings' faces, Geno took over the conversation and questioned White Noise.
"I like your directness. It's very simple. I want that box. As long as you hand that box over to me, I will return control of this computer to you. Of course, that includes the data inside."
Geno frowned. That box again. What exactly was inside that box that made so many people flock to it like ducks?
And so, he asked.
"What exactly is inside the box?"
"Originally, there was no need to answer you. But for the sake of our upcoming 'transaction' going smoothly, I will be kind enough to tell you one thing."
White Noise's voice paused for a moment, and then a window popped up on the screen. The item in the window was precisely that safe.
"This box came from a certain research institute in New Eridu. It is said that stored inside is something capable of changing all of New Eridu, something that can rival [Rosetta Data]."
[Rosetta Data] is a special type of Hollow data master copy.
The [Carrot] used by Proxies is a Hollow map with a time limit. This map is derived through massive amounts of data observation.
But Hollow observation equipment inevitably accumulates errors. To ensure accuracy, a special Hollow master data copy must be used every few days for testing and calibration. This is the Rosetta Data.
"In other words, as long as one has the thing inside the box, they can freely enter and exit the Hollows. I, personally, am very interested in this."
----
New Story: Junji Ito: I Shall Smash Hellstar Remina
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan