While Ellen was dealing with the dangerous Ethereal, Wise went around taking care of the other Ethereals that had been drawn in.
He felt this might be a good opportunity to help mend the strained relationship between Ellen and her friends.
Meanwhile, Ellen easily defeated the dangerous Ethereal, and the sounds of battle around them gradually faded away.
Originally intending to help, she stopped in her tracks when she realized there was nothing left for her to do.
"Ellen is so cool..." Ruby said with admiration.
"I thought I was going to be eaten by an Ethereal just now..." Monna said in relief.
"Uh... have you guys figured out how to explain this to Ellen?" Lynn asked, looking at the two beside her.
It was only after Lynn reminded them that Ruby and Monna finally came back to their senses.
Just then, Ellen approached them and asked, "Okay, tell me. Why are you here?"
"We got lost..." Monna replied weakly.
"We're having lunch!" Ruby quickly chimed in.
"We're investigating the Hollow," Lynn blurted out.
'Could your excuses be any worse?' Ellen thought.
Among the three answers, Lynn's was the only one that had even a little credibility.
"I'll ask one more time. Why did you come to the Hollow?"
Ellen's tone became slightly more serious.
Although Ruby's expression softened after hearing this, she still stubbornly replied, "Um... we're sightseeing..."
"Oh, is that so? Then I'm leaving. You can take your time visiting~"
"Waah! Don't go! Ethereals are so scary! Lynn! You tell her!"
Ruby immediately started crying, looking pitifully at Lynn. The latter understood that they could no longer hide the truth, so she finally spoke.
"Because every time you said you went to work, you always had wounds on you and looked very tired. We've been worried for a long time."
"Especially when you said you were working at your boyfriend's store, it made us even more curious. We always felt there was some hidden secret, or that you were being domestically abused."
"So, we've been following you recently, hoping to find evidence that you were being harmed so we could report it to Public Security and help you escape your misery."
Upon hearing this, Ellen immediately placed a hand on her forehead.
What was all this?
How could they even come up with something as absurd as domestic abuse?
Moreover, without knowing Wise's true strength, just based on his appearance, he looked more like the one who would be suffering.
"So that's why you entered the Hollow and acted so recklessly?"
"We encountered a Bangboo, but its translation plug-in was damaged... It kept waving its arms around before showing us a video. The video was of someone's graduation, and the Bangboo seemed to be trying to tell us that the video was very important. It wanted to leave the Hollow and give it to its owner..."
"Yeah! We thought we would be fine if we followed you since you knew how to get in and probably knew how to get out! Then the Bangboo could protect us!"
Ruby continued after Lynn, but even Ellen found the explanation unreliable.
"You're relying on a Bangboo to fight Ethereals for you? If I hadn't arrived in time, you would have become an Ethereal's extra meal."
"Phew! That's for sure! We didn't know you were so strong, Ellen!"
"I..."
After she brought this up, Ellen clearly felt a little guilty.
Seeing this, Ruby quickly continued.
"...I get it! You must be an... um... uh... intern Hollow Investigator, right?!"
"Exactly. Why are you still hiding it from us? It's not a big deal."
"Ugh... actually, I'm not..."
Ellen was about to deny it, but Monna, who suddenly realized something, interrupted her.
"Oh... well, actually... there's also something I'm hiding from all of you! Remember that movie we watched together? You all loved it, but after I got home, I gave it a one-star rating."
"I also lied when I said I picked this school because I liked its spirit. The truth is, I chose it because it was the farthest one from my home. I used to always feel invisible, so during my graduation ceremony, I did a backflip while shouting like a wrestler... I hope I never run into any of my former classmates again."
Lynn's confession made Ruby, who had not revealed her secret yet, burst out laughing.
The image was simply too different from Lynn's usual personality.
"Then... how about we submit a funny video of us doing backflips while shouting like wrestlers for our final project?"
"Ruby."
Lynn's gaze suddenly sharpened, and she abruptly moved toward Ruby's side.
"Heh?"
"Aha, it really is empty."
"AAAAH!!! How could you do me like that?!"
Ruby screamed and quickly moved away from Lynn, who calmly explained.
"It's just payback. Besides, we're even now that we know each other's secrets: Ellen's job, Monna's movie review, my graduation ceremony, and Ruby's..."
"You have to keep this a secret! Swear on it!"
Ruby was the first to make a declaration, then turned toward Ellen, who had been silently watching everything.
"Ellen, what about you? We absolutely cannot tell anyone else these secrets!"
"Me? I have better things to do than go around telling people these things."
'Besides, it's not just the four of us who know anymore,' Ellen thought as she looked at Eous beside her.
Since Eous was connected to the communication channel, she assumed Belle and Wise already knew everything.
But they wouldn't reveal it, and besides, Ruby and the others would never find out.
"It's settled then..."
"These are our secrets! Just between the four of us."
"We can never tell anyone else!"
"Okay."
Monna, Lynn, Ruby, and Ellen spoke one after another.
After their conversation ended, Wise had Eous take Ellen and the others away first while he followed behind.
In this situation, appearing together with them would only make things awkward.
"Are we in a bit of trouble right now?"
As soon as they exited the Hollow, Ruby suddenly spoke, confusing Ellen.
She never expected Ruby's first concern to be about their original final project being ruined.
"Ellen! It's your turn to make a proposal!"
"Um... Maybe something about Hollows? You can interview me about my experiences inside Hollows, and, uh... this Bangboo can be my Bangboo guide."
Ellen thought about it for a moment before offering a suggestion, but Monna seemed slightly worried after hearing it.
"This... is this allowed? Group projects are broadcast to the entire school. Ellen, maybe we should still..."
"It's alright. I can remain anonymous and hide my face. Wise and his sister will help with the editing. They're really good at that. Plus, I can introduce you to three of my seniors as interview candidates."
"Your seniors? Who are they?" Monna asked with interest.
"...Miss Ghost, Mr. Werewolf, and Chainsaw Girl."
Upon hearing Ellen's words, Monna and the other two immediately showed signs of fear.
"Er... I don't think our group project needs to be that long, s-so let's not trouble your seniors!"
"Speaking of which, should we go to the video store again later? The videotape I borrowed last time was really good!"
Seeing that the final project was settled, Ruby immediately stopped worrying.
Her sudden suggestion also made Lynn speak up.
"What did you borrow last time? Should we swap and watch each other's?"
"I don't want to watch yours!"
Ellen watched her friends bickering and deliberately slowed her pace. She pressed the communication device near her ear and quietly asked Belle if there were any videotapes related to Hollow Investigators.
Since she was misunderstood, Ellen thought she might as well pretend to be an intern Hollow Investigator from now on.
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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