Chapter 2: Saving the Cunning Hares' Three Musketeers
After Wise confirmed there were no suspicious people outside the door, Belle and Chiya finally turned their attention to the crafty rabbit in front of them.
"D-don't look at me with that 'you obviously got yourself into huge trouble' disgusted stare! Listen—just hear me out first!"
With Nicole flailing through an explanation in complete chaos, the three of them finally pieced together what had happened.
"So…" Wise said, "…why didn't you apply for rescue through the Hollow Investigation Association?"
"I—I don't want to, at least not right now…"
"Nicole made the right call."
Belle blinked. "Huh? Chiya, why are you suddenly defending Nicole? You're usually texting me complaints like 'Nicole borrowed money again and won't pay it back, I'm mad (╯▔皿▔)╯!' Did you forget she still owes you money?"
"W-what?! I—"
Nicole choked on her words.
Belle looked at Chiya—and followed his gaze.
It landed squarely on the valley of milk and honey wrapped in black-and-white stripes.
…Honestly, it had to be said: Billy might be a hopelessly unserious robot, but he hadn't gotten Nicole's title wrong.
Boss Nicole really was… a boss.
Staring at proof of "dignity" she could probably never possess, then glancing at Chiya—whose eyes seemed firmly magnetized to those thunderous curves—Belle felt a sour sting flash through her chest. Her eyebrows trembled, her throat tightened, and each heartbeat came with a tiny prick of pain.
"Hmph! Chiya—pervert! Nicole—bad!"
"Eh?! How is this suddenly my fault?!"
"Alright, alright," Wise cut in. "Belle and Nicole, calm down. Chiya—did you think of something?"
Wise interrupted their bickering and looked at Chiya with a serious expression.
"Nicole just said the Cunning Hares are running an even bigger deficit than usual, so they took this job. But… a friend told me the Hollow Investigation Association's 'wind direction' has been… off lately."
"So I think Nicole's choice was correct."
"At a time like this, sure—you could ask the Association for help, but choosing you and Belle is safer. And it also means Nicole trusts you two more. That's the real reason I support her choice."
"…Even if I am angry that she never pays me back. Really angry."
"But seeing Nicole acknowledge you two… makes me happy."
"So I support her decision. Um… Wise… Belle… what do you want to do—mmph?!"
Before he could finish, Belle clamped both hands onto Chiya's head and started ruffling him like a plush toy.
"Hmph! You little menace—why do you have to say it so nicely?! What else can my brother and I do now?"
She declared, loudly:
"Nicole, we're taking the commission!"
"Really?!" Nicole's eyes lit up. "That's great! Thank you, Chiya!"
"But," Wise added calmly.
Nicole's celebration didn't even last two seconds before Wise raised conditions.
"Nicole—don't think you can freeload. After this job, you'll pay off everything you owe us and Chiya. And from the payout of this 'big order' you took, you're giving us a cut."
"What?!" Nicole yelped. "Phaethon, you're kicking me while I'm down! Paying you back is one thing, but the amount I owe Chiya is enough to bankrupt the Cunning Hares ten times over!"
"What?!" Belle exploded. "Chiya, you dummy! Why did you lend that much money to Bad Nicole?!"
Belle wound her fingers around Chiya's cowlick and twisted it like she was kneading dough.
Meanwhile, the smile disappeared from Wise's face. He fell into silence.
"Belle," he said quietly, "don't take it out on Chiya."
Then he looked at Chiya, and then at Nicole.
"Chiya, you're going to explain this to me. Nicole, you too. And this isn't a discussion—I need to know what you used my family's money for."
"Aaah, okay, okay!" Nicole waved frantically. "Let's move, time's ticking! I'll go wait in the Hollow—"
"—Tss…!"
The adrenaline from earlier had finally drained away, and wounds her brain had been ignoring suddenly screamed in protest. A sharp jolt hit, and Nicole couldn't hold back a pained gasp.
"Hmm?" Belle narrowed her eyes. "Was that a sound just now?"
"Y-you heard wrong!"
"Nicole," Chiya snapped, visibly annoyed, "don't hide your condition. One of the things doctors hate most is patients lying to their doctor."
Seeing Nicole still try to stubborn it out, Chiya grabbed the medical bag from the table and marched straight toward her.
"Come on. Be good. Let me see."
"Eh?! W-wait, Chiya—those wounds are in places that—!"
"Belle," Wise said, steering the conversation away with a sigh, "let's start calibrating the system…"
Nicole was taller than Chiya by a good margin, but when Chiya entered "doctor mode," she was genuinely terrified.
Even without a syringe in his hand, a chill ran up her spine like she could feel the needle already.
Chiya didn't care about her panic. Nicole holding still just made the inspection easier.
He reached out—cold fingers pressing against her warm skin.
"Let me see… honestly, Nicole! How many times have I told you to protect yourself? This is a terrible job. You didn't even fully stop the bleeding. And your wrist too—"
Chiya scolded nonstop while carefully cleaning and treating her injuries, then replaced the dressings with neat, fresh gauze.
At the same time, Wise and Belle finished calibrating the HDD—technology unique to them.
"Phew," Chiya said at last. "That should do. Nicole—after you come out of the Hollow, bring Anby and Billy to my shop for a checkup."
"Ah… thanks, Chiya," Nicole mumbled.
For once, the usually cocky Nicole had completely lost her edge. She couldn't even meet Chiya's eyes.
Wise glanced at her and said, "Nicole, we're ready. The prep's done. In a moment, you'll need to place Eous by the Hollow entrance for us."
"And Chiya…" Belle muttered under her breath, "…you can take your little hands off her already."
She shot Nicole a tiny glare, hands on her hips, voice sour.
"Fine. Go then. Nicole, get moving. Chiya—I'm leaving first!"
Nicole looked like she was trying to hide her flustered embarrassment. She snatched up Eous from the couch and bolted for the door.
But Eous had been happily chatting with Xugeya—so when Eous got carried off, Xugeya instinctively reached out her small hand to grab her friend—
…Only for that tiny arm to be completely powerless against the "car wheel" of Nicole's momentum.
And just like that, Xugeya got dragged along too.
Chiya, Wise, and Belle stood there, stunned.
Some time later…
"Hey—can you hear me?" Wise's voice crackled through the comms. "Nicole, you can put Eous in now."
"Okay~ Okay, little guy, go on, go on… Huh? Xugeya? Why are you here? (stare) Wait—what?! You want to go too? (nod)"
Hearing that, Wise pinched the bridge of his nose with a bitter smile.
"That idiot Nicole…"
"Wise," Chiya said, "link me into the HDD too."
"Hm?" Wise turned. "Chiya… you're going to control Xugeya?"
Chiya's face was serious.
"…You're worried about Anby and Billy, aren't you?"
"Yes," Chiya said quietly. "Xugeya has some emergency medicine I made built into her. If Anby or Billy get hurt, it can help them immediately."
"…Alright," Wise conceded. "But you haven't linked into a Hollow in a long time, so I'm staying right beside you."
"And if anything goes wrong, you disconnect immediately. Understood?"
"We can't have a repeat of what happened last time…"
"I'll be careful!"
"This isn't about 'being careful,' Chiya." Wise's voice hardened. "I promised Teacher I'd take care of you and Belle. You two cannot get hurt. Do you understand?"
After emphasizing it again and again, Wise finally pulled his own chair over and adjusted the height for Chiya, then notified Nicole.
"Nicole. Put Xugeya in too."
"…Alright. Go on, little one."
"Mm-neh, mm-neh."
Watching the two Bangboo hold hands and walk into the Hollow, Nicole shut her eyes and clasped her hands to her chest.
"Anby… Billy… you two have to hold on…"
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