Shin knew Zane had no private contact information—she had checked his identity records, and if such details existed, they would have been registered.
She turned to leave. Yeyan, though a little reluctant, still followed her. After all, they had already agreed they would meet again at the upcoming banquet.
Behind them, Zane thought back to Shin's parting words, the corner of his mouth twitching.
He could understand being called good-looking, but attractive to men too? What—just because his hair had grown longer?
Tsk...
He shook his head slightly, turned, and caught sight of Zhu Yuan and Qingyi ahead, their figures still visible. He stepped forward to follow.
...
"I wonder if his ability could work on other Ethereals. If Ethereals could leave the Hollows behind..."
Yeyan recalled the earlier scene and let out a quiet sigh. If Ethereals were freed from the Hollows' restrictions, she couldn't imagine the chaos it would bring to New Eridu.
After all, Hollows were either inside New Eridu or dangerously close to populated areas.
"Who knows? Maybe you should ask him and find out for sure."
Shin's voice broke her thoughts. Yeyan considered it, but then shook her head.
"I barely know him—we've only exchanged nods. I'm not stupid. Asking something that personal would be suicide..."
Her impression of Zane was good, but he was far too powerful. No matter how favorable her opinion, caution came first.
"He's so strong now... compared to other Ethereals, he doesn't seem like one at all."
Yeyan shook her head again, unable to hide her amazement.
After all, what Ethereal could casually make a Hollow disappear?
"I never told you he was an Ethereal, did I? Fire Pickers are just a type of being that belongs to the same species as Ethereals—just like you and the mayor of New Eridu are both human."
Shin explained it plainly, then added,
"He was created by the world itself. How could he not grow fast and become strong?"
"He's a god. If he doesn't grow at lightning speed, if his power isn't unmatched, then what kind of god is he? By the time he's ready, it'll be too late."
She spread her hands.
"If it's like that, this god might as well be me..."
Boom!
A sudden crack of thunder split the sky, startlingly loud in the dim gray of early evening. Shin looked up and promptly swallowed the rest of her words.
Thunder... while it's snowing? She only knew of thunder during rain—how could snow have it?
Her brief confusion passed, and she brushed the snow from her hair before climbing into the military armored vehicle with Yeyan. Soon, they were gone.
...
"Wow, you actually feel cold. The heating had to break at the worst possible time. Your hands are freezing..."
In the back seat of the police car, Qingyi sat beside Zane, her eyes showing mild surprise.
"Then again, your body isn't much different from a normal human's—feeling cold is only natural."
She reached out her other hand to cover his, warmth quickly spreading from her Advanced Automaton systems.
"How's that? The self-heating system on an Advanced Automaton is pretty handy, right? I'll have you know, it can even heat water."
Up front, Zhu Yuan exhaled a puff of white breath, glanced at them in the rearview mirror, and said softly,
"Senior, I'm cold too..."
"Hey, Zhu Yuan, if you weren't driving, I'd warm you up as well..."
Qingyi smiled.
Zane didn't actually feel cold, but after a moment's thought, he considered drawing on his fire Anomaly.
In the end, feeling the warmth from her hands, he decided it wasn't necessary.
The police car moved smoothly through New Eridu and soon arrived at the Public Security Bureau. They had planned to let the others know and gather for a bit, but it was late, so they decided to postpone until tomorrow.
After staying at the Bureau for a short while, Zane set off for the Tanuki House to reassure those who had been worried about him.
Night had fallen, and the snowfall had already stopped by the time he walked back through the snow.
Seeing the lights on at the Tanuki House, Zane already knew who would be inside.
Other than Nekomata, no one else would come here in his absence.
Through the window, he spotted Nekomata, hands on her hips and looking fierce as she scolded a cat. A closer look revealed it was the little black cat—no stranger to her lectures.
Zane pushed open the door and stepped inside, drawing Nekomata's attention. She turned, startled for a heartbeat before breaking into a smile.
Off to the side, the little black cat yawned, watching her head toward Zane. It got up lazily and padded away, tail hanging low.
As for the accusation of hating baths? Its stance was clear:
Remember this time, refuse again next time.
Bath? Never.
But after a few steps, the black cat noticed the white cat and several others, who had been lounging idly, suddenly spring up and race excitedly in one direction.
Wait—someone's back?!
It turned its head, eyes widening slightly, then bolted forward like a black arrow.
At the entrance, Zane—about to greet the approaching Nekomata—saw a black blur launch itself at him.
The next second, more than a dozen cats, plus the large Nekomata, swarmed him completely.
The night passed quietly.
...
After waking from the Ether Crystal, Zane could feel the mental exhaustion—he had slept like the dead.
When he finally opened his eyes, the sun was already high.
Remembering that he'd forgotten to let everyone know he was safe, he got up to dress—only to hear familiar voices.
Stepping into the cat café, he saw Belle and Nekomata outside, along with Wise, Nicole, and Anby.
Zane raised an eyebrow and quickly understood—of course Nekomata would have informed them.
He pushed open the door, ready to greet them, when a white blur suddenly flew at him.
Caught completely off guard, a snowball smacked him in the face, freezing his raised hand in midair.
"Haha! Zane, let's have a grand welcome battle to celebrate your return!"
Belle laughed happily before turning back to roll another snowball. The fresh layer of snow from last night made perfect ammunition, and she'd been at it all morning.
Beside her, Nekomata was holding a snowball of her own, ready to throw—but suddenly her pupils contracted. She dropped it to the ground and slowly backed away.
Not far off, behind cover, Nicole and Anby were peeking out to survey the battlefield. They had been about to launch a sneak attack, but froze mid-move. Nicole quickly pressed Anby's head down and pulled them both back behind cover.
"Belle... stop making snowballs..."
Wise's voice was quiet but firm.
Belle turned her head in confusion—only to go still.
Is this... a snow mountain...?
That was her last thought before she was buried.