After the discussion with the Chief, I was standing outside the tent, observing the hollow in front of me.
Every time I look at it, it makes me wounder how it grew, what caused it to grow, and why couldn't they get rid of it.
What caught my attention however, were the six pipes that were to the side. Where I could see ether clouds flowing out of them.
"You are curious on what they are, yes?" Looking to my left, I saw Yanagi smiling at me. With Soukaku standing next to her.
"The thought has crossed my mind, but I don't want to bother anyone at the moment." Looking around, I saw multiple solders and medics running to and fro to prepare for the upcoming operation.
But something was wrong, like there was something amiss. "Yanagi, besides meeting Summer, did you encounter any other sinners?"
She went silent, but then shook her head. "I'm afraid not, ever since the mania had appeared, we're forced to raise our guard."
She then sighed and placed her hand on her cheek. "The amount of paperwork is piling up, and I won't have time to take Soukaku to eat."
The both of us then looked at Soukaku, who was slowly nodding off. Seeing this, I couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable she looked.
"Mmm… red bean buns… lobster… steak." She mumbled, and a bit of drool was slowly dripping from her mouth.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small packet, the second the aluminum foil crinkled, Soukaku's eyes opened wide.
"Here, a small gift from me to you." I knelt down and held out my hand. Soukaku looked like she wanted to grab it, but it soon turned to hesitation.
She looked towards Yanagi, who giggled and nodded her head in return. Once receiving permission, Soukaku gently grabbed the snack and soon opened it.
As she took a bite of the snack, her eyes widened. Followed by a small hum of happiness, her eyes flapped, and her tail wagged like a dog.
"Nagi, you have to try this, it's so yummy!" She said and offered a small piece to her. As Yanagi received the piece, she observed it to check if there was anything suspicious.
"What… is this?" She asked, staring at the small snack that was given to her.
"I can answer that!" Summer shouted, floating next to us with a wide grin on her face.
"In your hand is a modified snack bar, which can give you a full course meal in just a few bites!" We then turned towards Soukaku, who patted her belly with a smile on her face.
"Soooo full, that was the best snack I ever ate, do you have more?" She asked and ran towards me, wrapping her arms around my stomach.
"I do, but we wouldn't want you to have a stomachache now, do we?" I smiled and patted her hair.
She shook her head, but wore the smile. "Uh-uh, I want to help Nagi beat up those big bad ethereals."
Soukaku then pulled back and raised both arms, trying to show that she was strong, puffing her chest to appear bigger.
"That's good to hear. I bet she's happy to hear that." I said and looked at Yanagi, who was looking in another direction.
"That... is very nice of you, Soukaku. Let's go, I think I hear Chief Miyabi calling for us." She then walked away quickly, with Soukaku following from behind.
But before she left, she turned around and gave me a goodbye wave. "Bye bye, mister, thank you for the snack!" She said with a bright smile.
I thought I saw the sun when I saw her smiling, but I waved back with a smile of my own.
"You know, she reminds me of Shalome, kind, gentle, motherly, yet stil dangerous." Summer commented.
I took the chance to look at Yanagi, and noticed Summer was right. She treated each solder kindly, lightly scolding a few if they did something wrong.
And when she acted motherly, it was only towards Soukaku. "You're… not wrong. But they're two different people."
"Fair, but you have to admit, she is a cutie." I only sighed at her teasing and made my way back.
I only rolled my eyes, and returned to the main tent, where everyone was gathering for the briefing.
"Ah, Eros, Summer, glad you could make it. We were just about to start." Said Roland, who then stood in front of the monitor.
"Now, as the natives of this world, we will guide the visitors to hollow zero, but we can only go so far." Roland then began to play a presentation on the monitor, showing section six, and our group.
"Summer has already mentioned that we are both resistant to mania and ether, however, our bodies are more resistant to ether." Roland then looked towards Summer, who had a smile on her face.
"Originally, the plan was to have section six take us to hollow zero, then pull back." Summer then snapped her fingers, and a few drones came crawling.
"I may or may not have kept some hyper cubes, and may or may not have used your card." One of the drones jumped onto her arm, and she placed her fist against her head, sticking her tongue out, and having one eye closed.
"The only downside, I used most of it to test if the hyper cube could protect a person from the ether." She said.
"Were the results good?" I asked her, and she nodded her head at a dangerous speed.
"Yup, it somehow holds up against both mania and ether." She said with pride, and she puffed out her chest.
"I can sense a but…" Hearing me say that, Summer could only sigh.
"But, it doesn't last long, since it's constantly fighting against both of them." She said, I could only sigh but nod my head at her explanation.
"Anyways, section six will accompany you in the hollow. All you need to do is find out what is happening inside." Roland finished his briefing, but I had to ask something else.
"How many squads did you lose when it started?" Both Roy and Roland stayed silent, looking at one another.
"Too many, we tried to enter the hollow ourselves, but something forced us away." Roy said, but instead of a frown, she smiled.
"I tried so many things to attempt to get closer, using one of the vehicles, having one of the A.I automatons push me close, even sending a drone, yet it all ended in failure!" She was soon panting, and began to drool, as if she didn't had any food.
Most of us began to shift away from her, some disturbed more than others. "Anyways, the point is, Summer will lend the hyper cubes to section six, which would theoretically allow them to enter."
"Also, if you find any of the researchers inside, we would be grateful." Hearing Roland's request, I couldn't help but feel pessimistic.
The chances for them to be human are slim, zero even. But I would try my best to look for the bodies, they deserve to be put to rest.
"We'll start the operation in half an hour, take the time to rest and gather supplies for the mission, dismissed." Everyone that was in the meeting soon left.
While Belle and I made our way outside, I began to ponder, what would it look like once we enter.
Will it be the wasteland I saw, or will it look like a destroyed city? Only time will tell, for now, my focus is on Belle, looking distant.
"Is something wrong?" Hearing my question, Belle snapped back and tried to smile, but it was forced.
"Y-yeah, just nervous. I've… never done something like this." I subtly held her hand with mine, and smiled.
"Everything will be okay, I have a trusty proxy guiding us into the lions den." I reassured her, which caught her off guard.
"O-oh… thank you… I won't let you down." She said and looked away, with a subtle smile on her face.
She soon muttered something, but I couldn't hear her. In the end, we stood next to each other, with our hands intertwined.
We didn't notice the people behind us, staring at how close we were to one another.
"I swear, she is the closet to getting through his dense skull, besides Milly that is." Summer whispered, pulling out a sketchbook and drawing furiously.
"I'll say, there a few others who're trying to be the first to sneak into his heart." Bai Yi, replied, already thinking about how much money she'll make.
"Well, there are a few girls who are… unhinged." K.K said, and the three of them nodded their heads in agreement.
After half an hour had passed, section six was equipped with small chest guards, with each having a hyper cube inside.
"Now, there's a small timer on your wrist, counting down on how long the hyper cube will last, and you all have three cubes each." Summer explained, making final adjustments to the chest guards.
"Depending on how much mania and ether we face, it will affect how long it will last. As long as we avoid any dense areas, you should be able to stay with us for three hours at most." Summer then floated to my side, and soon observed her work.
"I'm such a genius." She said with a satisfied smile on her face, each member began to move around, trying to adjust to the new guard.
"It feels good, easy for me to breath and to move." Miyabi said and pulled out her sword, swinging it a few times to test the limitations.
"I must admit, I've never thought I'd be wearing something like this… though." Yanagi looked uncomfortable and stared at the chest guard, which was pushing up against her chest.
Most of them began to look at her with unintentional lust, while a few looked away out of respect and I was a part of the latter.
Soukaku on the other hand only laughed and ran around us, with her arms stretched outward and running with ease.
The only one who wasn't disturbed much, was Harumasa, who looked aloof and exhausted.
"Hmm, not that much of a difference." He said and yawned, stretching his arms above him. "Though it feels nice, does it have a heating system?" He asked.
"Yup, it even has a cooling system as well." She said with pride. "But there's a one percent chance that it'll explode."
This caused him to go wide eye, and try to remove the chest guard. Only for it to tighten even more, forcing the air out of his lungs.
"Get… this… off… me!" He wheezed out every word, trying to pry the chest guard off him.
"Sorry but I needed a few volunteers, but then this came up, so, I decided to force it on you." She said with a smile.
I only looked at Harumasa with pity, and I patted his shoulder. "I feel your pain." I whispered, and I could see his eyes show gratitude.
"Hey, don't pull it off, you'll set it off!" Summer shouted and smacked him on the head.
"Summer… just fix it before it kills him." I placed my hand on my face. She only rolled her eyes and soon moved to his back, lifting a panel and pressing a few buttons.
The chest guard then loosend just enough for him to breath normally, and he was on his hand and knees.
"How… do you survive… her experiments?" He asked me, but my eyes were hollow, and a smile formed on my face.
"I just let it happen, I'm only one man." Hearing how my voice was hollow, our rolls were reveresed.
"I'm so sorry." He said and weakly placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Okay, with the depressing bonding aside, we are ready to dive into the hollow!" Summer said with excitement.
Section six took the lead, guiding us to the entrance to the hollow, the closer we approached, the bigger it looked.
And the pressure of mania began to increase as well. We could feel the air becoming tense, weighing us down with each step.
"We're here." Miyabi said, standing in front of the hollow. She then turned around, facing our group.
Which consisted, of K.K, Summer, Eve, and Bai Yi. K.K carried the box that held the bear, while Eve herself was being pushed by me.
"I don't need to repeat myself, but we must remain cautious as we enter. We don't know what we will encounter, and we have no information on the changes, so remain vigilant, and stay close." Was all she said before entering the hollow with her group.
"Serious much? I bet she's got so many men and women lining up for her, but all she sees are empty faces." Bai Yi said with a chuckle.
"You're one to talk, you've flirted with a lot of men and women, only to leave them the second they want to make things serious." Bai Yi only gave a smile and stuck out her tongue.
"I'm a free woman, nothings going to tie me down." She said.
"Alright you two, that's enough banter. We have a job to do." I said with a smile and began to walk forward.
"Why do they always have to be so noisy?" Eve asked, holding another doll in her hands.
"It's just how they are, I'm surprised that there tame today." I said, entering the hollow and feeling space distort.
As we entered, I felt the mania hammering inside my mind. With the voices echoing in my mind once again.
"Find us, and release us from our sleep."
[Hey hey, with the story advancing, things are about to get interesting. Though, things are becoming a bit problematic. I don't like how Belle is getting close to my chief, oh well I can always vent out my stress on these guys that tried to kidnap chief, later!]