Koleda couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. She looked at Zane and suddenly felt he was a bit unfamiliar. But after shaking her head, she quickly pushed aside the scattered thoughts.
"Alright... Zane, I'll keep your secret."
Zane nodded and continued,
"Once you leave the Dead End Hollow, the Defense Forces will probably stop you. Go find the officer named Shin and give her my name. Pass along a message for me."
"Tell her the situation in Dead End Hollow is complicated—she'll need to adapt on the fly."
He trusted Shin's intelligence, her judgment. In fact... she probably already suspected his identity as the "Fire Picker."
After all, that phone call gave too much away.
If she hadn't figured it out by now, then Zane would have to admit he overestimated her.
Zane glanced around at everyone and said,
"Figure it out amongst yourselves. I know your character, but don't act on impulse."
"Make your decision quickly, then follow me."
He turned and walked off. Zane knew—every second he delayed could mean more innocent lives lost.
Not that he felt particularly responsible.
He just didn't want to see those same tragedies... repeat again.
...
As Zane left, the group fell into a heated argument.
"Alright! Grace, you and Nicole, take Koleda back with Anby. Ben, Billy, and I will go rescue the others!"
"This is the time for the men to step up!"
Anton declared, cutting all the women out of the operation. But the women clearly weren't backing down so easily.
"Grace, you know your current combat status. Anton and I still have energy to spare, but you've almost used up all your gear..."
Ben tried to reason with Grace. It was a practical consideration. While Belobog Heavy Industries was assigning personnel, things at Hare's House looked very different.
"Billy, you're low on ammo anyway. I still have some fight left in me, and as the boss, it makes more sense for me to go with Zane!"
Nicole wore a persuasive look and kept talking to Billy, but he was unmoved—her words weren't getting through.
"Billy! Didn't you say you wanted to attend the Starlight Knight fan meet? I'll pay for you! Once you escort Koleda out, you can go straight there!"
Nicole clenched her teeth and decided to go all in, offering Billy the stack of Dennies she had somehow scraped together.
She even used the excuse of "escort duty" to make it more appealing—but to her surprise, Billy turned her down flat.
"Eh, that Starlight Knight meet-up's not that big of a deal..."
Billy waved her off casually and said with indifference,
"There's no such thing as a real Starlight Knight. That guy's just some dude in a costume."
Nicole was stunned. She even started wondering—was this really Billy? Was he being controlled or something?
Was this the same guy?
Noticing her expression, Billy looked straight at her and said seriously,
"Nicole, do you know what the Starlight Knight really means?"
"There was never a term like 'Starlight Knight' in the first place. What existed was 'starlight'—the glow of the stars in the sky."
"They don't appear in the brightness of day but in the darkness of night, lighting the way with their countless lights scattered across the sky."
"Maybe they're not as bright as the sun or as soft as the moonlight, but they're numerous. They fill the night sky, each doing its best to shine!"
"The Starlight is about wearing that starlight—it's a brilliant badge! Everyone has their own unique Starlight Knight!"
"There are no real Starlight Knights—but anyone can become one!"
"Kindness, justice, passion, courage—doing everything to light the way for others, to protect their dreams, and to stand up for what they believe is right. That's what qualifies someone to wear the Starlight Knight!"
Billy's voice was firm. Seeing Nicole still wanted to argue, he smiled, waved her off, and said,
"Nicole, I'm not the reckless type. Based on everything, I'm the one with the highest combat capability among the three of us."
"You don't need to say it. Anby fought the hardest in the last battle—she's about as worn out as Koleda and even picked up a few injuries, so she's out."
After shooting down both Nicole and the battle-ready Anby, Billy rested one hand on his hip and said with a grin,
"Besides, I'm not like you guys. My Ether compatibility is higher. Even if I lose an arm or leg, I can just patch it up later."
"If something happens to you two, can you fix that?"
"And don't worry about ammo. The rebels' stuff still works. The models are different, sure, but I can adapt..."
Nicole couldn't find a single word to refute him. She didn't know if she even should.
Just like Zane said—they couldn't act on emotion.
Suddenly, Anby reached out and patted Nicole on the shoulder. Her expression was calm as she nodded.
"Nicole, let Billy go."
"His decision is the right one."
Just as Billy said, she knew how little fight they had left in them. Tagging along with Zane would only slow things down.
Seeing Anby's agreement, Billy smiled, ran a hand through his hair with flair, and struck a dashing pose.
He then looked to Anton and Ben, who had already made up their minds, and the three of them headed off in Zane's direction.
Billy twirled his dual pistols in his hands and called back to Nicole without looking.
"Nicole, don't worry. This means a lot to me. I'll give it everything I've got! After all... this is my goal!"
His voice echoed clearly in Nicole's ears.
"Let the Starlight Knight shine again!"
"Let the Starlight Knight shine here!"
Watching Billy's figure fade into the distance, Nicole clenched her teeth and shouted,
"Billy!"
"No matter what!"
"At least bring your head back with you!"
"Got it, Nicole!"
...
"Zane, you don't seem surprised?"
Billy ran through the streets, glancing at Zane's expression with curiosity.
"The outcome was obvious."
Zane nodded. In his eyes, the three of them were the best choice. If Anby and Koleda weren't the main attackers against the mechs, they would've been viable too.
He had considered asking Victoria Housekeeping for help, but they clearly had something big going on. And with no real ties between them, Zane didn't bother approaching them just to get turned down.