Although it was a bit troublesome, at least from their perspective, their friend was doing something "normal."
"Ellen! Don't just stand there chatting with the Bangboo! Hurry up! We're discussing what to eat later!"
Ruby waved enthusiastically. Standing nearby, Lynn couldn't help but inwardly mock her carefree attitude, especially considering that not long ago she had almost become an Ethereal's dinner.
"Let's go, we'll just..."
Before Ruby could finish her sentence, a PubSec officer stepped in front of the group as they were about to leave.
"Hold on. Surveillance shows that all of you entered the Hollow without permission. We were preparing a rescue operation. How did you get out?"
"Ah... well..."
"We met a kind person."
Lynn was quick enough to answer when Ruby failed to come up with an excuse, but the officer wasn't about to let them off that easily.
"A kind person? Entering a Hollow without authorization is prohibited. Did you encounter a Hollow Raider?"
"No, no, no! What Hollow Raider? I've never seen a Hollow Raider! Absolutely not!" Ruby said, shaking her head vigorously.
"We just met an investigator."
"Right, right. Wearing black... no, white clothes."
Ruby and Lynn explained one after another while Monna nodded repeatedly beside them.
The officer's gaze then shifted toward Ellen.
"The surveillance only shows the three of you. Who is she?"
"Sh-she's our friend! She just got off work, and we happened to run into her five minutes ago. No, three minutes ago! She definitely didn't enter the Hollow!"
Seeing Ruby's desperate explanation, the officer didn't press the issue further. The three girls sighed in relief, but then the officer added something else.
She informed them that they would have to attend Hollow disaster education classes and write self-reflection reports. Instead of looking upset, Ruby and her friends appeared relieved.
However, after the officer escorted the three girls away, Ellen remained standing there for a long time. Only when Wise walked over to her side did she finally speak.
"They were covering for me, weren't they?"
"Ellen..."
"They know I'm not some Hollow investigator... right?"
"Let's go back first. We can talk about everything else once we're home."
Noticing Ellen's low spirits, Wise gently took her hand.
On the way back to the video store, Ellen remained silent. It wasn't until she pushed open her bedroom door that she finally spoke, almost as if she were talking to herself.
"So... they already knew? What the heck... I tried so hard to hide it for so long... If my identity gets exposed, I might have to transfer schools."
She walked over to her bed and collapsed onto it, hugging a pillow tightly.
"Ah... so troublesome. If Ruby found out I transferred, she'd cry and annoy me until I got a headache... but Lynn would probably stop her. Monna would probably wish me well calmly, but in the middle of the night she'd definitely send me super long messages while crying... Oh, but if I transfer now, I can avoid this semester's final assignment."
Ellen tried her best to hide her sadness, yet she still couldn't stop herself from rolling around on the bed.
"Ellen, actually, you don't necessarily have to transfer schools..." Wise said, trying to cheer her up.
"Oh, you don't have to comfort me. It's no big deal. I'm used to this kind of thing by now..."
She tried to sit up, but halfway through, she suddenly stopped.
"Changing clothes... so tiring... Wise, help me change..."
"Huh?"
Ellen made the suggestion partly to relieve her stress, but before anything else could happen, her phone suddenly rang. Wise glanced at the screen and quietly left the room.
A short while later, Ellen stepped out as well, and by then her mood had improved significantly.
"Did they invite you to hang out?"
"Yeah. They invited me to eat sugary, oily, high-purine mixed foods later."
Fried food?
Why make it sound so complicated?
"They said eating those together is a symbol of friendship... Can I go?"
"If you're unsure, you can ask everyone at Victoria Housekeeping for their opinion. But we all hope you follow your own feelings."
Wise's words eased the weight on Ellen's heart, and a genuine smile appeared on her lips.
"Okay, then I'm getting ready to go."
"Alright. Do you still need me to help you change clothes?" Wise asked teasingly.
"Uh...! Th-that... let's talk about that when I get back tonight."
Knowing he was only teasing her, Ellen quickly changed clothes and hurried off to meet her friends.
The improvised lie her friends told might have been clumsy, but it protected Ellen's secret. Even after realizing she might have a special identity, they didn't pry further or treat her any differently.
They truly were a group of wonderful friends.
When Ellen returned that night, she seemed far more energetic than before.
"Did you have fun?"
"Lots of fun, thank you. But I sweated a lot today, so I'm going to take a shower first."
After saying that, she headed upstairs. Not long afterward, a freshly bathed little shark crawled into Wise's bed.
"I'll make up for my previous coldness, Master~"
The night quietly slipped away as the two of them lost themselves in each other's warmth and affection.
<<>>
A few days later, Wise decided to take a walk alone around Port Elpis when he spotted a familiar figure.
"Is that Venus? And a guy who definitely doesn't look friendly."
Wise looked toward Venus, who seemed visibly uneasy, and the fierce-looking man standing in front of her.
"You woman, don't think I won't lay a hand on you just because we're here!"
"What are you doing?!"
Wise firmly grabbed the thug's outstretched arm. The man immediately tried to pull away, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Seeing this, he resorted to threats.
"You! Mind your own business. You don't want to wake up missing an arm or a leg, do you?"
"Wait, this has nothing to do with him!"
Venus quickly stepped forward and pulled Wise toward her side, but Wise simply held her hand and continued staring at the thug.
"Threatening me? How about we discuss arms and legs in detail at Public Security?"
"Tsk... just you wait... I'll be watching you. As long as you set foot in Port Elpis, you won't escape the Black Anchor Gang's grasp!"
After delivering his threat, the thug seemed somewhat intimidated by Wise and hurried away without looking back.
Wise wasn't concerned about the thug's threats, but Venus would likely become a target. To be safe, reporting the matter to Public Security would be the best option.
Killing people casually wasn't Wise's style.
But throwing them into a Hollow and letting them fend for themselves...
'Yeah, that thought just became very dangerous. Let's forget it.'
"Sigh, I didn't expect to run into you here. Normally, I should be giving you some commissions, but today's situation is a bit special, and you really... didn't have to get involved."
Hearing those words, Wise's expression turned serious.
"Your business is my business."
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Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street
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