"Hello? Is this Public Security? I want to file a report! I've discovered a cult here preparing to hold some kind of special ritual! They've even brought sacrifices!"
In the distance, the sound of other passersby calling the police could be heard.
"What kind of cult ritual? How should I know! Maybe I should just go ask them directly?"
The first part was pretty normal, but the second part of the conversation almost made Andrew lose it.
Seriously, lady, that's not how you court death! If you really ran into a cult, you'd just be serving yourself up on a platter, wouldn't you?
With a death wish like that, you must be quite the character.
Feeling like they'd be stuck for a while if they were caught, Andrew quickly led the group away from the intersection before that reckless passerby could catch up to them.
Relying on his agile movements and keen senses, he once again managed to slip out of sight just as another passerby was about to dial the police.
Looking at the surrounding buildings, all of similar heights, Andrew suddenly had a good idea.
Before long, Andrew had led everyone to the rooftop of a residential building.
With Belle providing directions using the H.D.D. system, and with the high vantage point from the rooftops, they could take shortcuts as if they were on level ground, relying on their skills to navigate.
They quickly reached Sixth Street. As the old gamer saying goes, people rarely look up. With the advantage of the rooftops, no one paid any mind to the group passing overhead.
Thud.
With a muffled thud, Andrew leaped down again, landing directly on the asphalt road below like a hero making a grand entrance from the heavens.
This move left the members of the Silver Squad completely stunned, their admiration for Andrew's physical prowess growing even stronger.
But for Andrew, as a Hunter, fall damage? What's that? Can you eat it? I'm the kind of guy who jumps off cliffs for breakfast!
Not until the whole cloaked group had entered Random Play did Belle, who had been warily watching for passersby, finally breathe a sigh of relief.
For some reason, the police response time was unusually slow today. It couldn't be that some major criminal operation was busted, causing the entire force to be dispatched, could it?
Fortunately, it was already past nine o'clock. With few pedestrians around to begin with, and by sticking to the rooftops, the journey had been tense but without any real danger.
"Phew... Andrew, couldn't you have come up with a better disguise? I feel like even more people called the cops because of it!"
Hearing Belle's complaint, Andrew immediately started defending his choice of attire.
"This is blatant discrimination! The great FFF Inquisition is a legitimate, large-scale, independent order, so how did it get labeled a cult! They're just judging a book by its cover!"
Hearing this, Belle looked Andrew up and down, taking in his pitch-black cloak and the letter 'F' on his hood gleaming under the light, and said skeptically:
"Is that really a legitimate organization? How come I've never heard of it before?"
"Of course it is. It was really widespread back in my day. It's just become a relic of a bygone era in recent years."
Andrew reluctantly took off his robe. The glorious days of hoisting up heretics who betrayed the order by getting girlfriends and ramming them into trees with his classmates were long gone.
And yet, after all these years, he was still single.
Tears couldn't help but stream from the corners of his eyes.
"So what's your creed?"
Hearing this question, Andrew clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"Burn all the heretics who betray the order and get girlfriends!"
Upon hearing this motto, Belle, who was holding Eous, froze on the spot. She didn't even notice when Eous quietly slipped from her hands.
"That's totally just a straight-up cult! (ノ｀⊿´)ノ"
"How could you say that too, Belle!"
——————
Not long after, Wise also returned safely. To throw off any suspicion, he had purposely driven around a few times, pretending they had really just been out for a drive.
Even though she already knew from the phone call that Wise had been safe the whole time, Belle's worried heart finally settled only after seeing everyone back in one piece.
She couldn't bear to lose anyone again.
"Alright, our mission objective is finally complete. But for what comes next, arranging a place for them, I'm going to need your help, Belle."
Andrew looked at the scene before him with satisfaction, his efforts having paid off.
"No problem! Leave their arrangements to me! After all, I'm the only girl in our trio."
With Belle's confirmation, Andrew turned to look at the somewhat anxious Silver Squad behind him.
Looking at the girls of the Silver Squad, who seemed to be awaiting their final judgment, Andrew said with a smile:
"Right now, I only have two mission requirements for you: don't leave the shop premises without permission, and don't intentionally cause any damage. That's it. Other than that, you can do whatever you want."
However, the members of the Silver Squad just looked at one another, momentarily falling into a state of confusion and helplessness. Twiggy couldn't help but ask:
"Don't you have anything you need us to do?"
"Something I need you to do? Then how about you try living a free life like normal people. Experience all the things you've never seen before, and then find a way to live that you truly like."
Andrew said, counting on his fingers:
"You're not as strong as me, your physical strength isn't as great, you don't know anything about forging, and you even have huge gaps in your basic general knowledge. Rather than giving you something to do, I think it's more important that you go back to school and seriously catch up on the common sense of being human."
"Human...?"
Seeing Twiggy fall silent as if she'd been emotionally torpedoed, Belle immediately started organizing for the Silver Squad members to take showers and change their clothes.
"Alright, since you've all just been through a world-shaking change, let's get you cleaned up first. As for a change of clothes, you can just use mine."
"Then I'll go make a late-night snack. We only ate some dry rations for dinner in the Hollows, I'm starving."
Since Belle had taken on the most important task, Andrew didn't want to stay idle either. He immediately prepared to appease his own stomach, which had been growling for so long.
"Andrew, you already eat a lot on your own. Adding portions for thirteen more people... can you handle all that?"
Such a huge increase in numbers made Belle a little worried.
"Don't underestimate me! I was taught by the Meowscular Chef and the Grammeowster herself! Back in the Forbidden Lands, I was the one who made all the Canteen meals for the investigation team. A few more people is nothing, piece of cake."
However, not long after he had confidently left things to Belle, while he and Wise were still setting up a hot plate for cooking in the backyard parking area behind the shop, he heard a scream from inside.
Andrew, having just returned from the Aegis Umbrella research facility, thought something had gone wrong. He swiftly dropped the fuel canister in his hands and rushed back to the second floor of the shop.
But as soon as he set foot on the second floor, he saw a dumbfounded Belle standing at the bathroom door, and inside the bathroom, Anby, still in her full combat suit, standing under the shower spray while holding a deformed faucet handle that had clearly been wrenched off with an incredible amount of force.
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