What Nicole didn't expect was that almost the moment she finished speaking, Zane agreed to her request.
Seeing her surprised look, Zane simply shrugged.
"Like you said, I don't need this thing. Leaving it in the Hollow is just a pile of scrap metal. Might as well let you take care of it."
"As for the Dennies, just keep it. Ethereals don't have any use for that stuff."
"As for compensation, just remember it for now. I'll let you know when I figure it out."
Nicole's eyes lit up more and more as he spoke—she nearly burst out in joy by the end.
What a kind soul! A truly kind soul!
He just gave up 250,000 Dennies like it was nothing!
Thank goodness she didn't bail earlier. This was a total windfall from the sky!
And as for the "compensation"—sounded more like a polite brush-off. If you round it up, that's basically free money!
"Five hundred thousand Dennies... Nicole, if I remember right, don't you still owe me and my brother a commission fee?"
Belle sat in front of the HDD system, a teasing smile on her face. She controlled Eous and had it turn to Nicole as her voice came through.
Phaethon occasionally commissions agents to fight in the Hollows, but only under special circumstances—like this one. It doesn't happen often.
Most of the time, it's other people who hire Phaethon. Among them, the Hare's House has been a frequent client, practically a regular.
But this regular hadn't finished paying off their commissions yet. Nicole had been so focused on Zane that she'd forgotten all about it.
"Ah... about that..."
Nicole tilted her head and looked up at the sky, clearly hoping the matter would be dropped. Seeing this, Belle chuckled and continued.
"Nicole, let's not complicate things. Just deduct this commission from your outstanding debt."
"After all, handing it off to you is basically a left-hand-to-right-hand transfer."
"And take a bit from your battle armor recovery reward too. That'll clear the whole debt in one go."
"You've made a fortune this time—no more excuses, right?"
"Nicole~~"
"What?!"
"Proxy—!"
Nicole's eyes widened as she stared at the tiny Bangboo that barely reached her knees. She stomped over to it "fiercely."
Panta shivered at the sight and quickly ducked behind Zane's leg. Nicole wasn't aiming at him, but this Bangboo, who had the guts to threaten Ethereals, was still scary enough.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
Belle instinctively stepped back. Was Nicole really going to silence her over a debt? No way—that's Eous, not her. Silencing wouldn't do anything.
But Nicole just hugged Eous tightly, her eyes glistening with tears as she pitifully pleaded.
"Hare's House is on the brink of bankruptcy, Proxy. Can you really bear that?"
She wasn't exaggerating—if losses kept piling up, they wouldn't even be able to afford food soon...
"If we lose this money, Billy won't be able to buy any more Star Emblem Knight posters, and Anby... she'll be starving all the time, no burgers to eat…"
As she finished, Nicole gave Anby a quick look. Getting the cue, Anby played along.
"Boo hoo... if I can't have burgers, I'll be sooo sad…"
Nicole turned back to Eous and added,
"Even I, the leader of Hare's House, might have to busk on the streets to survive. Proxy, could you really be so heartless?"
Her big, sparkling eyes blinked pitifully, tugging at the heartstrings.
Unfortunately, Belle couldn't see any of it. Her visual feed was completely overwhelmed by soft squishiness—she couldn't see a thing.
"Alright, alright, let go of me, Nicole. You can delay the payment..."
Nicole immediately let go, stood up with one hand on her hip and the other over her mouth, looking smugly at Anby and Billy.
"Hahaha... See? That's the power of a leader. You two should take notes."
"Hey, Nicole, I'm still right here! Is it really okay to say that in front of me?"
"And I said delay, not cancel the debt."
Controlled by Belle, Eous rubbed its eyes helplessly.
Yep... classic Nicole move.
In fact, the Hare's House had never once paid off a commission in full. Every time they cleared one debt, another one popped up.
Belle had no idea when she'd ever see all that money. But what could she do? "Budget deficit" had practically become part of the Hare's House brand—and they were "old partners," after all.
It's not like the Hare's House would actually default…
"What are you saying? The Hare's House is the future's top-tier agency! Of course we pay our debts."
Nicole snorted and added proudly,
"When we're famous all over New Eridu, you'll be amazed, Proxy."
"Sure, sure. I'll be waiting for that day..."
Eous nodded, his tone carrying a mix of hope, resignation, and mostly just brushing it off.
To the side, Zane tilted his head slightly as he watched them interact. Things like this felt much more vivid when witnessed firsthand.
"Alright, now that you're done chatting, you'd better get moving."
"Although it seems like not many knew about this mission, it won't be long before someone shows up."
Zane spoke calmly. He'd originally planned to wake the others to ask about their objective, but judging from these two pilots, they probably didn't know anything secret.
And if anyone saw them like this, it wouldn't affect him—but the Hare's House might not be so lucky.
"Ah, then we'd better move the two mechs out fast."
Nicole quickly sprang into action. If the military reclaimed them first, they wouldn't see a single Dennies.
"By the way, the Hare's House isn't considered illegal on the surface, right? Shouldn't be hard to come up with a reason for being in the Hollows."
"Bring the survivors too. Rescuing people like this is bound to earn you a decent reward."
Zane pointed at the team members and Hollow investigators lying nearby.
Nicole, of course, didn't turn down the offer. The Hare's House had one foot in the gray zone, but the other foot was a legitimate agency.
It was a small effort for big gain—why not take it?
Zane watched as Billy loaded the people onto a small truck from who-knows-where, deep in thought.
At first, he'd planned to leave them to their fate. He wasn't a villain—but he wasn't some benevolent hero either. These people had attacked him; he wasn't going to repay evil with kindness.
In their condition, it'd be a miracle if even one or two made it out alive. If they got lucky and more survived, good for them.
But now, it seemed using the Hare's House to get them out might be a clever move—especially since he was in a tricky spot himself...
"Hey, Zane. If we don't act now, when are we going to get to your job?"
Out of respect for his strength, both sides had agreed to help Zane first—then get to their own business.