As the words fell, Ellen puffed out her cheeks, fixing her gaze firmly on Zane.
"Zane, don't get so caught up in personal heroism! Acting like we're just a burden..."
"No, I didn't mean that..."
"But deep down, you're thinking pretty much the same thing, aren't you?"
Ellen crossed her arms, her tail sweeping to the side and resting on the chair, a hint of displeasure on her face.
"Zane, you are powerful, but some things require companions. You know what I mean.
I don't know exactly what you're doing, but I'm sure it's both dangerous and important... That's the kind of person you are, and I understand your mindset.
But those who stand beside you all have their own abilities. You don't need to worry about them like they're children."
Ellen paused, then a faint smile touched her lips. Her gaze softened as she spoke.
"And most importantly..."
"You're not fighting alone."
Ellen raised her arm and waved it, speaking with firm seriousness.
"I'm incredibly powerful. There's no way I can't help you with anything, right?"
"Hmm, Ellen is amazing, but I don't think I meant it quite like you said."
Zane's gaze softened as he spoke gently.
"Whether it was the proxy at the beginning, the Senior who came later, the involvement of Hare's House, or Shin..."
With a smile, Zane gathered his thoughts, then turned his gaze back to Ellen, his tone taking on a teasing edge.
"So, what exactly can Ellen help me with?"
"Well, I'm sure there are plenty of ways I can assist you..."
"Just name it!"
Ellen patted her chest, a slight bounce accompanying the motion, as she spoke with determination.
Zane gave a small chuckle, blinking once before replying,
"How about letting me touch your tail?"
"Like you said, I have some very dangerous, very important things to do. So how about using your tail to help me relax a bit?
This concerns so many people in New Eridu...
Miss Ellen, you wouldn't want Ruby and the others caught up in some unknown incident, would you?"
As he spoke, Zane smoothly slipped into "moral blackmail," even adding a subtle "threat." Of course, all tricks he'd picked up from dealing with Shin.
Ellen froze at his words. Her eyes filled with wariness as she shifted away from him on the bench.
Noticing his gaze fixed on her tail, she suddenly felt a strange sensation run through it. Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly wrapped her arms around her tail.
"You... you've been coveting it all along..."
She blurted out, intending to force Zane into denying it so she could shut the request down and suggest something else.
But before she could even finish, Zane nodded and said matter-of-factly,
"Yes."
Ellen froze.
"Ellen, you owe me a favor. That one, plus the ones I mentioned before. And yet you won't grant me such a small request as touching your tail?"
Zane's tone stayed calm, his smile unshaken. Ellen shot to her feet, pointing a finger at him.
"You... you're holding favors over my head!"
"So what if I am?"
"Are you going to stop or not?"
Ellen looked at him, then quickly looked away, hugging her tail as she stood frozen, torn by fierce inner conflict.
After several long breaths, she finally took slow steps toward Zane and released her hold.
"It's only for Ruby and the others... and to repay the favor. Just this once. Don't expect it again..."
She spoke as she walked.
"Alright, alright..."
Zane nodded. Of course, he had no intention of saying the old line about there only being a first time and then countless more...
"Careful, the tail can be dangerous..."
Then, as Ellen extended her tail, Zane finally touched the tail he had coveted for so long.
His eyes gleamed. Truthfully, he had touched it once before, so there wasn't much novelty anymore.
But this time was different—he was doing it right in front of Ellen, and she had offered it willingly...
It was oddly thrilling, almost like he was getting away with something…
Ahem...
The night was pitch-dark.
...
Meanwhile, on Sixth Street.
"What? What are you saying?!"
Inside the video store, Belle—who had hurried back after restocking and was waiting for the results—slammed the table and shot to her feet when she heard Wise's words.
"You mean our proxy team, which has completed every single commission with a 100% success rate, didn't receive the honorary title?
And that other highly skilled proxy team didn't get it either?
Even that strong competitor, the one suspected of being officially backed, didn't get the title?"
Belle furrowed her brows tightly. After calming and thinking for a moment, she asked in disbelief,
"So the honorary title for this Inter-Knot event is left empty? Why? Was there some special situation..."
"No, Belle."
Wise beside her sounded somewhat helpless. He had originally hoped this Inter-Knot selection would boost their reputation, letting them secure more lucrative, higher-quality commissions and increase their overall volume.
He hadn't expected this outcome.
"Then what happened?"
"One proxy did receive an honorary title. I think the account name was..."
Wise frowned as he tried to recall the unfamiliar Inter-Knot username. After he finished, Belle just stared blankly.
Wait—who was this person?
As someone who liked to think of herself as having "second-generation" experience—reborn from a seasoned veteran into a rookie—how could she possibly have never even heard of this proxy?
Seeing her reaction, Wise wasn't surprised. He only shrugged helplessly.
He was just as shocked.
"What's going on exactly?"
Belle frowned at him, shaking off her shock to press for an answer.
"It's not really that complicated..."
After carefully choosing his words, Wise explained the situation. When he finished, Belle's expression slowly calmed.
"Now that I think about it, the Inter-Knot is really buzzing. A lot of people are outraged, though most of it doesn't involve us..."
Wise chuckled, his tone light. After a short silence, Belle shook her head and smiled.
She let it go.
"Well, whatever. Our results are already up on the Inter-Knot. The title would've just been icing on the cake—whether we have it or not doesn't matter.
The clients will know who to choose."
Belle waved her hand dismissively, sighing as she spoke. If not for the expectations she'd built up beforehand, the whole thing wouldn't even matter as much as a random tape falling off a shelf.