After exchanging introductions, the two groups gradually grew more comfortable with each other.
Nekomata tilted her chin slightly, a dreamy look crossing her face. "I've heard about Victoria Housekeeping from Phaga and Little Corin, but it doesn't seem very well-known in everyday life."
Eous chuckled sheepishly, about to remind Nekomata to watch her words.
Before he could speak, Rina smiled gently. "Victoria Housekeeping primarily serves a select clientele of high-net-worth individuals in New Eridu. We don't concern ourselves much with public recognition."
"Mmm…"
The little cat bristled, the phrase high-net-worth pricking her pride like a thorn. The sting was sharper than she expected.
Just as she was about to flare up, she looked up and met Rina's serene, springlike smile. Her anger melted instantly, replaced by frustration as she threw up her arms.
"Arghhh!!! When will our Cunning Hares ever be that rich?!"
"Uh… Nekomata, there'll always be opportunities… hmm?"
Eous was about to console her when suddenly, a system notification popped up.
[Fairy: Master, Assistant No. 2 has something to say.]
"Oh, put him through."
Fairy went silent. A second later, Wise took control of Eous's body, and a deep, masculine voice emerged from within the small frame.
"Billy, Nicole just called me. The Law Court says the attendance list includes the entire Cunning Hares team. She needs you to head there immediately."
"But... but... what about the Manager?"
Billy panicked, crouching down and gesturing frantically.
If the Cunning Hares left, who would protect Eous?
But the next second, Eous lifted her head.
Billy froze, staring at her. It was still Eous—but her presence had completely changed.
What he didn't realize was that the instant Belle heard Cunning Hares had to abandon the mission, she immediately used her authority to kick her brother out of control.
Eous's small body wobbled, and she patted Billy's knee resolutely. "Don't worry, I'll do my best!"
"Wait, Manager, why are you acting like you're about to make some noble sacrifice?"
Billy crouched lower, waving his hands so wildly they almost tied themselves in knots. "But can you really rescue Rain all by yourself?"
"Uh... well…"
Eous tilted her head and glanced meaningfully toward Victoria Housekeeping's direction.
Billy followed her gaze. Being the straightforward sort, he didn't think twice before exclaiming excitedly, "Oh, right! Bro Phaga and Miss Shark can totally keep the Manager safe!"
"But..."
After the initial burst of enthusiasm, Billy hesitated. "Will Victoria Housekeeping even agree to help us?"
"Of course we will."
The steady, reassuring voice belonged to none other than Lycaon.
He descended the steps with calm poise, giving a polite nod. "Forgive me for overhearing, but it seems you've run into some difficulties. As friends who once aided Phaga and Ellen, Victoria Housekeeping naturally won't stand idly by."
Billy was moved by his sincerity but still wavered. "Really... are you sure?"
"Don't worry, Billy!"
To his surprise, the one to speak wasn't Lycaon but Eous.
At some point, she had moved to stand beside him, waving her small arms with uncontainable excitement—almost as if eager to send the others off.
"Victoria Housekeeping will definitely keep me safe! I'll see you guys out!"
"Uh... Manager... alright then."
Billy scratched his head helplessly and followed Eous toward the edge of the hollow.
Before long, they reached its perimeter.
Eous waved both arms high and shouted cheerfully, "Bye, Billy! Knock Perlman flat in court! Safe travels!"
"Got it! The Starlight Knight won't forget!"
Billy, now in the distance, raised a hand in salute.
Anby lingered, half-turned, gazing back at Eous for a long moment. Only when Nekomata called her name did she finally hurry to follow.
...
[Yay! Awesome! We actually get to work with Victoria Housekeeping!]
Watching the Cunning Hares disappear, Eous nearly jumped for joy.
Honestly, Belle had thought the odds of ever working with Victoria Housekeeping again were about as likely as hitting the lottery jackpot.
But the universe favors the persistent—and sometimes, a shooting star does strike the same crater twice.
Eous felt as though her chest were full of cotton candy. Her steps grew light, her body swaying side to side as she walked toward Victoria Housekeeping.
Humming softly under her breath, she chanted, "Victoria... Victoria…"
Lycaon raised an eyebrow, though his refined composure kept his expression even. Lowering his voice with practiced gentleness, he asked,
"Well then, Master Proxy, out of professional courtesy—may I confirm that your purpose here is to rescue your friend?"
He'd learned the name "Rain" from Eous and Billy's earlier conversation, hence the question.
Hearing Lycaon's voice for the first time, Eous froze, her brain momentarily short-circuited. Only after he repeated the question did she snap back to life.
"Yes! My... friend got lost inside the Hollow! A very important friend—I have to find her!"
Eous nodded furiously, her excitement barely contained. She clenched her little fists, doing her best to keep from blurting out that Rain was a hacker.
Still, as she listened to the calm, unfamiliar tone of Lycaon instead of Phaga's, she couldn't help but feel a small pang of disappointment.
But that feeling faded quickly.
Lycaon knelt on one knee, retrieving a datapad from his coat. Activating its projection function, he displayed a schematic of the Ballet Tower's exterior on the nearby wall.
To accommodate Eous's height, he adjusted the projection so low that its base nearly touched the ground.
Then, turning slightly, his steady crimson eyes met hers—deep and composed as still water. Eous found herself completely entranced.
"The Ballet Tower is a twin-tower complex—Towers A and B," he explained.
"Tell me, Master Proxy—do you know your friend's approximate location?"
[So handsome! So dependable!]
Eous froze, suddenly realizing that Victoria Housekeeping's reliability didn't end with Phaga.
"Master Proxy?"
Lycaon prompted again softly, his voice still warm and patient.
"Huh? Oh! Right—I detected her signal! She's on the rooftop of Tower B!"
Eous snapped back to focus. According to Fairy's scans, Rain's last transmitted signal had indeed come from Tower B's roof.
"I see…"
Lycaon paused in thought, then pointed to their current location—the base of Tower A.
"Our Carrot is too outdated to retrieve most of the Hollow's internal data. With the Hollow still contracting, spatial distortions inside are becoming dangerously unstable. Exiting the Ballet Tower to reach Tower B from the outside would be far too risky."
"I suggest we ascend Tower A first. Once we reach a suitable floor, we can cross into Tower B via the connecting atrium corridor between them."
[Fairy: Agreed. Without Hollow data, we'll need to gather information as we move and infer spatial rift fluctuations on the fly.]
Seeing Fairy voice no objections, Eous nodded eagerly.
Then she paused, suddenly remembering something.
"Wait—you guys came into the Hollow for your own mission, right? Won't helping me like this interfere with what you're supposed to do?"