"No way, no way—I'm not doing it!"
Belle shook her head furiously like a rattling toy, terrified Zane might actually follow through. Even knowing he was probably joking, she couldn't afford to take any chances.
Fight Zane?
What kind of joke was that?
Even if Eous wasn't involved, she couldn't be sure she'd survive just watching the fight.
On TV, the news was wrapping up coverage of recent events. Mentions of the underground black market were already being quietly scrubbed from the narrative.
"Zane, thanks to you, our rental store's Ethereal videos have been flying off the shelves these past couple days."
Belle rested her chin in her hands as she looked at him, her mind bubbling with new, quirky ideas.
"Say, what if the 'Fire Picker' himself starred in a movie? That'd be an absolute sensation, right?"
"And if we made it an exclusive... I can't even imagine the kind of money we'd make, hehe…"
She beamed with excitement at the fantasy, while Zane just gave her a silent glance.
He should've held onto half the money he gave Nekomata and used it to fund the video store instead.
That way, this "Little Nicole" wouldn't keep targeting him with her oddball schemes...
Just as Belle kept pestering him with her idea, a sudden knock came at the door.
No. 6 was lying nearby, unmoving—clearly not someone close or familiar.
"Huh? Isn't my brother outside?"
Belle stood up and walked to the door, peering through the one-way glass. Her expression sharpened.
She stepped out and shouted upstairs for her brother.
Zane remained on the couch, but his eyes flicked toward the door.
A man in formal wear. Green tie. Light brown hair. Glasses...
It was The Shepherd—Phaethon's associate.
Zane raised an eyebrow.
What did The Shepherd want that required a personal visit?
He turned his gaze away and waited to see how things unfolded.
...
After a while, Belle and Wise saw the guest off and returned. Wise looked serious, but Belle seemed oddly pleased.
"Hollow Zero Investigation... Belle, what do you think about it?"
Wise crossed his arms, resting one hand on his chin in thought.
"Question: What is 'Hollow Zero Investigation'?"
An electronic voice rang out. The usually quiet Fairy had caught a keyword and immediately jumped into the conversation.
"Oh? Forgot Fairy didn't know about this,"
Wise glanced up at the HDD system.
"Challenge accepted... Accessing the Investigation Association's database for Hollow Zero."
Fairy instantly shifted into "combat mode," taking over the database like it was her own.
"Uh…"
Belle let out a surprised chuckle. Fairy was really something—competing over nothing, again.
"No one's challenging you…"
Wise sighed, but Fairy ignored him completely.
Once the search finished, Fairy recited the intel on Hollow Zero—and proudly crowned Belle and Wise with the title of "saviors of the world."
"Wrong answer, Fairy…"
Belle smiled faintly, prompting Fairy to dig deeper, but Belle wasn't about to spill her true intentions that easily.
They went back and forth a bit—riddles exchanged from both sides.
Zane glanced their way. They weren't hiding anything from him, so he had been listening in the whole time.
So it was about Hollow Zero.
The timing matched—right after the Dead End Hollows incident, this would be next.
He recalled The Shepherd was originally supposed to visit after the shop closed. Had his actions triggered a butterfly effect and shifted the timeline?
And these two riddlers—one a super AI, the other the enigmatic Phaethon—each had their own secret agenda.
And he, as usual, was the only one in the dark…
But toward the end, Wise let something slip.
New Eridu hadn't been founded that long ago. The destruction of the old capital happened within the past 20 years. The subway project by Vision Industries was built right on top of it.
When Wise mentioned that he and Belle had grown up and studied in the now-ruined capital, Zane's eyes flickered.
He remembered going up to the second floor during one of their chats.
That photo in the corner—he hadn't forgotten.
The Helios Research Institute…
...
Soon after, Belle and Wise finished talking.
Then Belle turned her gaze to Zane.
Their eyes met, and Zane raised an eyebrow. Why did he get the feeling she was up to something?
"Zane, let's talk about something..."
Belle approached with a fake smile. Zane instinctively shifted away, frowning.
"What is it?"
"You heard us earlier, right?"
"My brother and I are heading to Hollow Zero tomorrow. Want to come?"
She clasped her hands together, smiling sweetly.
"Hollow Zero is huge—tons of powerful Ethereals inside. You'd love it, Zane."
"Well? What do you say?"
"Any interest, Zane?"
"I'm telling you, Hollow Zero's full of strange, amazing stuff. A special guy like you would fit right in…"
Belle looked like a mischievous older sister trying to coax a kid into a trap, grinning as she tried to lure Zane into Hollow Zero.
Zane tightened his grip on his pillow and gave her a wary once-over.
"Speak like a normal person."
"Fine."
Belle's expression shifted back to normal. She puffed out her cheeks, folded her arms, and plopped down beside him.
"Hollow Zero's really dangerous, okay?"
"I just want to cling to a reliable leg, that's all…"
"Please?"
She held onto his arm with both hands, face full of "please, please" sincerity.
After the Dead End Hollow incident, Belle had developed a bit of a dependency on Zane when it came to Hollow-related missions.
It wasn't that she didn't work hard—it was just too convenient!
No need to worry about danger. No fear of failure. No stress over unexpected twists…
As long as Zane was there, she only needed to use her brain and sync up with Fairy.
This time, Hollow Zero was even more dangerous. As Phaethon, she didn't have to worry, but if there was a better safety net, why not use it?
And with Zane on board, she wouldn't have to worry about him either. The Hollows barely affected him. But bringing along other Agents...