Chapter 6: Generous Nicole (Patreon)

Not until he'd put a good distance between them did Musachi finally stop. Seeing that she hadn't followed, he let out a breath of relief.

"I didn't expect to run into the current Void Hunter here... Looks like she came specifically to clean up this Ethereal? I wonder if she even knows anything about it..."

Musachi couldn't shake his unease about the Ethereal that had appeared out of nowhere and locked onto him — after all, its target had been unmistakably clear: him.

Its strength hadn't been anything special, but the deliberate targeting still bothered him.

Could this be the Creator's doing?

No, that couldn't be right — that thing's influence shouldn't reach this far...

Scratching his head, Musachi decided not to dwell on it and turned back the way he'd come.

When he'd been swept away earlier, he'd told the Cunning Hares to leave without him. But what if they were the loyal type and had stayed behind to search for him — or even try to rescue him?

Musachi wasn't worried about much else, but if the Cunning Hares accidentally ran into Hoshimi Miyabi, things could get messy fast.

"Proxy, so you're here! Are you all right?!"

Sure enough, when Musachi got back near the spot where he'd been swept away, he found the Cunning Hares looking anxious.

Seeing him return safely, Billy shouted happily.

Musachi quickly waved for silence.

Catching on, Billy crept over and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"What happened? Proxy, are you okay? That Ethereal was terrifying — how did you get away?"

Watching Billy turn his speaker volume all the way down, Musachi's mouth twitched.

"I ran into the Void Hunter, Hoshimi Miyabi. She saved me. She should be leaving the Hollow soon — hide, quick, or we'll run right into her."

"What did you say?"

Billy blinked, looking like he hadn't caught a word.

Musachi figured he just found it hard to believe and was about to repeat himself when Billy smacked his own head.

"Sorry, can you say that again, Proxy? I hit the volume button and accidentally turned down my audio receiver too — I didn't catch any of that."

Billy scratched his head, looking at Musachi.

Musachi's mouth twitched again.

This robot... why did he seem so unreliable?

But just as Musachi started to explain again, Nicole and Anby yanked the two of them into a corner.

Hearing footsteps approaching in the distance, the group clamped their hands over their mouths, terrified that even their breathing might give them away.

"Finally over. Who'd have thought Delin Hollow would stay quiet for ten years and then suddenly produce an Ethereal that strong... Good thing the Chief was here, or we'd have been in real trouble on our own."

Asaba Harumasa said lazily, hands laced behind his head as he strolled along behind the others.

"The mission's done. Can we eat now?"

Soukaku ignored everything else, looking at Tsukishiro Yanagi expectantly.

Tsukishiro Yanagi gently patted her head. "Good girl. I'll take you to buy red bean buns once we're back in the city."

"Yay~"

The three of them bickered and joked, more like they'd come on a picnic than a Hollow raid.

"Chief Hoshimi?"

Tsukishiro Yanagi turned back, puzzled to see Hoshimi Miyabi still standing there, frowning.

"It's nothing. Let's go."

Hoshimi Miyabi pulled her gaze back from the corner and followed the others out.

Only once all sound of them had faded did Musachi and the others dare to breathe freely again.

"Th-that was terrifying! We almost got caught by a Void Hunter!"

Billy let out a breath.

"What happens if we get caught?"

Anby blinked.

"You'd get locked up. Forget burgers — you wouldn't even get bread dough."

Musachi explained from beside her.

"So... so scary!"

Anby deadpanned.

"It's fine. If she really did spot us, I'd just swallow my pride and beg her a little. We're sort of acquainted, actually."

Nicole, watching the two of them panic, smoothed down her slightly mussed hair.

"As expected of Boss Nicole! You even know a Void Hunter like Lady Hoshimi Miyabi! Amazing!"

"All right, all right, quit the flattery. Even if we do know each other, we're Hollow Raiders right now — mice still have to steer clear of cats. Especially with her colleagues around."

As she spoke, Nicole glanced at Musachi.

"So, Proxy, can you keep going? If not, we can pull back for now."

She looked at him with concern — after everything that had just happened, she figured he could use a rest.

"I'm fine. We're already here, so let's keep exploring. The officials just left, which probably means there's no one else in here now. Let's use this window of safety to push deeper."

"Right! If Hollow Special Operations Section 6 already came through, that means the Ethereals here have basically been cleared out — it's plenty safe! Might as well seize the chance to loot the place! Then I'll finally have enough money for the new Starlight Knight belt!"

Beside them, Billy was already wiggling with excitement.

"All right, if Proxy's fine with it, I'm fine too. But Proxy, if you start feeling off, speak up right away — safety first!"

"Got it."

Musachi nodded with a smile.

Generally speaking, Hollow Raiders were desperadoes who carried their lives on the edge of a knife, but the Cunning Hares were different. They were Hollow Raiders too, but remarkably warm-hearted.

After all, an ordinary crew of Hollow Raiders would have vanished without a trace the moment things got that dicey.

In truth, even if the Cunning Hares had retreated on their own just now, Musachi wouldn't have blamed them.

Hollow raiding was an illegal trade to begin with, and betrayal among its own kind wasn't unheard of. People banded together for profit, so it wasn't surprising if some crossed a line for the same reason.

As a Proxy, Musachi was thoroughly professional. Soon, deep inside the Hollow, the group found an artifact from the Old Capital era — the kind with real collector's value.

Even outsiders to the trade like Nicole could tell the piece's frame alone was worth at least five million Dennies.

"Once I've handled this piece, I'll come find you. Don't worry, we're not about to skip out — your shop's right there on Sixth Street, and we know this place well."

Nicole cradled the Bangboo-shaped statue in her arms — the huge thing pressed against her full chest hard enough to distort its shape, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

This was worth at least five million Dennies!

And that was just the estimate.

Nicole figured the real value might be even higher.

"Oh right, let me pay you your share first. Here's five hundred thousand Dennies — hold onto this. I'll bring the rest of your cut by later."

Back on Sixth Street, Nicole suddenly remembered and transferred the money to Musachi on the spot.

This was a bonus on top of his fixed pay.

Getting a haul like this on their very first job together — Nicole, hoping to keep this partnership going, decided to be generous for once, something she hadn't done in a long while.

Normally, even a deposit would only come to a tenth of the total. Five hundred thousand Dennies was far more than that.

Of course, the real reason she could afford to be so generous was Musachi's skill. Even with Ether activity down, Delin Hollow still held plenty of dangerous Ethereals — but with him guiding the way, they'd barely run into any danger the whole trip.

That kind of ability could rival Phaethon's!