The next morning, Wise and Belle went to the data room on the first floor together to continue watching the news.
The report detailed the aftermath of last night's Hollow disaster on 14th Division Street. An explosion had occurred in a high-rise room of a nearby residential building, an explosion caused by the Public Security Bureau. The specific reason given was that the Bureau had deployed its Air Police armed forces during an operation to crack down on the illegal and violent Red Fang Gang.
However, the results were somewhat disappointing. The leader of the Red Fang Gang was not captured and was presumed to have fallen into the Hollow.
Just then, the door to the room was suddenly thrown open. The person who rushed in was none other than Nicole of the Cunning Hares, her pink hair and... considerable assets were certainly eye-catching.
"Stop watching! The explosion the news is talking about—I was right there!"
The siblings watched as Nicole strode up to the television. As her assets blocked the screen, she reached out and turned the TV off. (I'm not making this up; this is how it happens in the game.)
"This is an emergency! Billy, Anby, and my client—they all fell into that Hollow!" Nicole continued, panting heavily before the siblings could even speak. It was clear she was truly desperate.
"I desperately need a Rope-master's help. This is the request of a lifetime!"
Watching this scene unfold, Wise and Belle, along with Eous sitting on the sofa, remained completely calm, as if this was a common occurrence for them.
"Hello, Nicole. I knew someone was coming, so I left the door unlocked. But it would be even better if you could knock normally next time." Wise's expression was one of weary resignation as he spoke.
When Nicole saw him, however, she froze for a moment. Huh? What's this? Was Wise always this good-looking? Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or did I just not notice before?
[Ding! Detected new favorability target. Target: Nicole.]
[Current Favorability Target:]
Name: Nicole
Gender: Female
Charm: 93 (PS: This charm value is based on the author's own preferences, so it may not be accurate.)
Defining Trait: Well-endowed
Hobby: Dennies, the more the better.
Current Favorability Towards Host: 63
Evaluation: The target's favorability towards the host is slightly higher than a friend's but far lower than her love for Dennies.
Inner Thoughts:Sigh, this is bad. To save those two, Anby and Billy, the Cunning Hares are going to owe another huge sum. But thankfully, Wise and Belle are pretty easy-going. It should be fine if I drag out the payment a little longer, right?
Reading Nicole's inner thoughts, Wise couldn't help but wonder if she deliberately chose easy-going creditors to delay payments to. At the same time, what he really wanted to complain about was how the system panel seemed to have gotten more detailed, likely due to adding a new favorability target. But Nicole's "defining trait" was a bit too... although, it wasn't wrong.
"I feel like we hear your 'request of a lifetime' at least three times a month, Nicole~" Belle said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Her "black-bellied" side was coming out to play.
"Ahaha, j-just help me get through this crisis first! You can make fun of me all you want afterward! Please, I'm begging you, legendary Rope-master—Phaethon!" Nicole was clearly embarrassed, as Belle had hit a sore spot, but this level of teasing was nothing she couldn't handle.
"Alright. Wait here for a moment." After saying this, Wise stepped out of the room. He returned a short while later. "Okay, I've confirmed it. There are no suspicious individuals outside the shop."
"Don't worry, I wasn't followed or tailed. It took all my effort to slip away from the scene on 14th Division Street. I came alone."
"Mmm, I know, and we're willing to trust you. But these are special times, after all." Wise naturally knew Nicole wasn't the type to betray her friends, but this was the real world. If something unexpected happened, it wouldn't be good. He and his sister could end up in jail together.
"Oh, come on, isn't it just because the municipal elections are coming up? Security is tight right now, I know that," Nicole said with a wave of her hand. Then, as if remembering something, she continued, "Especially the efforts to capture Rope-masters, they're getting more intense. They've even opened a dedicated hotline, and also..."
"Okay, okay, Nicole, why are you so enthusiastic about talking about this? You're not thinking of turning us in to get out of paying your debt, are you?" Belle interjected in a joking tone.
This naturally earned a retort from Nicole. "How could I? Do I look like that kind of person? I hate people who betray their friends more than anything!"
Nicole said this with righteous conviction. But Wise glanced at her inner thoughts and saw that, while it was true she wouldn't betray them, she had indeed considered it!
"Alright, let's start with what happened," Wise said, cutting in.
"Right, okay. So, here's what happened..." Nicole then recounted their conflict with the Red Fang Gang. "...So, Billy and Anby fell into the Hollow. I have to save them, and I also have to retrieve the client's item. This is an emergency, only you can help me. To sum it up, my request is simple: bring my employees and the client's item out of the Hollow, safe and sound. It's a standard Rope-master job. You'll take it, won't you, Phaethon? As soon as this job is done, I'll pay off all my previous debts in one go."
Hearing Nicole's promise, Belle replied with skepticism. "For real? But I heard the Cunning Hares' income is in the red every month. Not to mention, you've been behind for several months already, Nicole. If we count the interest..."
"Seriously? Is there no trust between us? The payment for this commission is huge! As soon as it's completed, I'll pay everything back this time, principal and interest!" Nicole was a bit unhappy with Belle's words, but in the end, with a pained expression, as if she were making a terrible sacrifice, she agreed to the interest.
"Mmm, that sounds much more reasonable," Wise nodded. He was actually quite curious just how much the client had promised to pay Nicole that she could be so generous, not even caring about the interest.
"Great! Since you both agree, there's no time to waste! Let's get going! I'll go ahead to the Hollow and wait for you—Oof, hiss..."
"Hm? Nicole, are you hurt?" Wise noticed a flicker of pain cross her face and asked with concern.
"Y-you heard wrong. I'm fine." Nicole's gaze darted away, not daring to meet Wise's eyes out of guilt. It looked like she wanted to keep acting tough, but Wise didn't give her the chance.
"Nicole, just rest here for a bit. Don't push yourself. We'll need you to take Eous to the vicinity of the Hollow later."
"Oh, right! To deploy your Bangboo double, right? No problem." Nicole obediently went to the nearby sofa and sat down.
"Belle, come help Nicole with her wound. I'm going to check the HDD and prepare for the Hollow dive."
After saying this, Wise turned and walked towards the HDD. Seeing this, Nicole couldn't help but think to herself that Wise was surprisingly gentle and thoughtful.