Billy stared at the bill in his hand for a long time. Then, as if he'd figured something out, he exclaimed, "Children's clothes, children's textbooks, children's toys... Don't tell me—Nicole has a child hidden somewhere?"
The moment he said that, Nekomata fumbled and nearly dropped the fish tank.
"What?! Billy, what did you just say? Nicole has a child? When did she get married?"
Billy answered firmly, "It has to be true."
Nekomata looked skeptical. "And how do you know that?"
Billy replied with total confidence, "I guessed, of course. Isn't it obvious? You're telling me none of you figured it out?"
Anby shook her head. "You guessed wrong."
Billy frowned. "How do you know?"
Anby answered with a straight face, "I guessed."
Billy was speechless. "…"
Besides that one strange bill, there were no other clues.
All they could do was make wild guesses.
But one thing was certain—Nicole was hiding something. Dennies' sudden disappearance must also be related to that secret.
After a moment of silence, Billy handed the bill to Nekomata.
"Kitty, you're the most curious one here. Why don't you go ask Nicole what's going on?"
Nekomata quickly shook her head. "Sure, cats are curious—but they're also the smartest. Don't even think about tricking me into doing something dumb."
Billy turned to Anby.
She shook her head without hesitation. "No."
Then he looked at Sam Li. "Aren't you curious about Nicole's secret?"
Sam Li shook his head. "Not really."
Billy was stunned. "…"
So after all that… he was the only one curious about Nicole's secret?
By this point, Nekomata had already put down the fish tank and said matter-of-factly, "Billy, you're clearly the best person to ask Nicole. You're built like a rock—getting smacked by her won't even hurt."
Billy sighed. "I do have sensory components, you know…"
Anby gave him a warning. "Heads up—Nicole's coming back. If she finds out you messed with that bill, you're toast."
That snapped Billy out of it. He panicked a little—he couldn't let Nicole find out.
He rushed to the drawer and carefully returned the bill to its original spot.
Just as he turned around, Nicole appeared at the entrance of Hare's House.
Billy quickly put on his most casual expression.
Close call. She almost caught him.
Nicole came in, flopped down onto the sofa, and said breathlessly, "I'm exhausted... Billy, get me a glass of water."
Billy reminded her, "The water dispenser's broken."
Nicole shot him a look of pure disappointment. "How many times do I have to tell you—when it's out of water, go get some from next door."
Billy grabbed a cup and dashed out. "Right away!"
Nicole looked completely worn out, like she'd been busy all morning.
Curious, Nekomata asked, "Nicole, there weren't any commissions today, right? Why are you so tired? Did you sneak out and take one by yourself?"
Nicole took a deep breath. "It wasn't a commission. I went to the welfare center..."
She immediately clammed up mid-sentence.
The moment she mentioned the welfare center, Nekomata's mind flashed back to the strange bill. Could that be related?
Cautiously, Nekomata asked, "We're an agent office—why would we go to the welfare center?"
Nicole realized she had let something slip. After thinking for a moment, she came up with a barely plausible excuse.
"I... I was doing volunteer work. You know how kind, generous, and loving I am—I treat my employees well and often go out to do good deeds too."
She forced a smile, though it came off a little awkward.
Anyone could tell she was lying.
But no one called her out on it.
A glint of mischief flashed in Nekomata's eyes. "We want to volunteer too. Next time you go, make sure to bring us along."
Nicole had no choice but to nod. "Next time, for sure…"
Soon after, Billy returned from next door with a glass of water.
Nicole drank it, then immediately ran back to her room, slammed the door, and locked it—who knew what she was up to now?
At that moment, Billy spotted Nicole's phone left on the table.
"Nicole, you forgot your phone!"
He picked it up to bring it to her—but the screen lit up just then.
It was a bank balance notification. Nicole's account only had 300,000 Dennies left.
Billy froze.
What the hell?
They'd just completed multiple jobs over the past couple of weeks, each worth hundreds of thousands—some even over a million.
The Hollow mission in the Imperial City alone earned them two million Dennies.
And now, just a few days later, only 300,000 left?
Billy was still trying to wrap his head around it when Nicole suddenly burst back into the room and snatched the phone from his hand.
"Give it back. It's private. You can't just look at it."
Billy opened his mouth to ask about the Dennies...
But before he could say a word, Nicole had already stormed back into her room, slammed the door, and locked it.
Billy was speechless. "…"
Forget it.
He grabbed his new gun oil and went back to his room to do some maintenance.
Right after that, Nekomata also returned to her room with the fish tank. She was planning to check the forums to find out how to make her bluefish grow faster.
For a while, only Sam Li and Anby remained in the living room.
There was a brief silence.
Sam Li turned to Anby and said quietly, "I saw Soldier 11 again today."
Anby stayed silent.
Sam Li continued, "She seems to care about you."
On the surface, Soldier 11 always claimed to hate traitors—claimed to hate Anby.
But Sam Li could tell their relationship wasn't as simple as it looked. There was definitely more to their story.
After hearing Sam Li's words, Anby shook her head. "Correction—I don't need her concern."
It seemed like she was remembering something.
For a brief moment, a flicker of emotion passed across her usually impassive face.
Sam Li could tell it was a painful memory, so he didn't press any further.
But after a pause, Anby looked at Sam Li and began speaking softly, almost to herself.
"I once saw a movie. The main characters were two close friends—one controlled fire, the other lightning. They completed countless tough missions together and uncovered the dark side of the Defense Force. Eventually, they didn't want their hands stained with blood anymore, so they decided to leave together.
"But the night before their departure... the one with fire betrayed the one with lightning."
As she spoke, a faint sadness crept into Anby's usually calm expression.