"...Heh. Forget the squabbling—at least they really do care about Nicole."
Just as Belle wrested Nicole's photo back from Nekomata and returned it to Anby, a faint voice drifted in.
Belle turned her head and saw Phaga and Ellen sitting cross-legged in chairs, watching with great amusement.
"You two have been watching long enough—how about giving us a hand..."
Belle sighed heavily, then shifted her attention back to Nekomata. Exhaling, she asked, "Judging by how cheerful you are, did you land a commission for Cunning Hares?"
Lately, everything had gone wrong for Cunning Hares. Whatever Dennies they earned were swallowed by medical bills.
With funds drying up, Billy in need of repairs, and Nicole stuck in bed, the weight of keeping Cunning Hares afloat fell squarely on Nekomata and Anby's shoulders. Until Nicole recovered, they had to keep Cunning Hares afloat.
As agreed, Anby stepped up as Canvas Street's representative, filing a lawsuit against Vision Industry to fight for the residents' rights. If successful, Cunning Hares would regain a huge portion of their resources.
But it was going to be a long process, and in the meantime, Anby couldn't generate any income. Which left the task of putting food on the table squarely on Nekomata's shoulders.
"Meow meow! I secured a partnership between Cunning Hares and Belobog Heavy Industries, meow!"
Nekomata grinned, pulling an unsigned paper contract from her bag and proudly holding it up for Belle to see.
"See? This is the greatness of Nekomiya Mana!"
"Wow, you already got as far as a contract?!"
Belle snatched the contract from her, a surge of happiness bubbling up before she quickly caught herself.
Wait—why am I happy about Cunning Hares getting a commission?
Mm... probably because if they have money, they can finally pay back their debts!
The realization made Belle want to cry.
As Nicole's creditor, the moment she fell ill, Anby and Nekomata had turned to Belle as their pillar of support—without even hiding that it was Nicole's idea in the first place! Outrageous!
What am I now, a shareholder in Cunning Hares?
"Sigh..."
Still, there was no way around it. Belle sighed and flipped through the contract, her eyes widening before her voice rose in disbelief:
"[Commission Details: Party A, Belobog Heavy Industries, commissions Party B, Cunning Hares, to inform Phaethon, offering a fee of two million Dennies to hire Phaethon to locate a giant machine lost deep in the Hollow.]"
"Wait, this means I'm the one who has to take Cunning Hares' commission?"
Belle stared in shock, gripping Nekomata's shoulders tightly and locking eyes with her.
Nekomata awkwardly averted her gaze, muttering, "Because... we're really out of people at Cunning Hares!"
"And besides..."
Suddenly, her expression shifted. She reached out, grasped Belle's hands, and earnestly said, "To pay back the Proxy's debt, I'll work super hard to find you more jobs!"
Belle: "...Hah, thanks a lot."
In the end, Belle couldn't resist Nekomata. Shoulders slumping, she asked, "So... out of that two million, how much goes to me?"
"One million eight hundred thousand! All for our amazing Proxy!"
Nekomata clasped her hands to her chest, eyes sparkling as she gazed at Belle.
"...Flattery won't get you anywhere. What's so great about me, anyway? You want me to waltz into the Hollow just to make Eous look bad?"
Belle then glanced at Phaga and Ellen, thinking to herself: If only I could hire Victoria Housekeeping...
No, no, what am I even thinking? I could never afford their fees!
But if it's just Nekomata...
Belle quietly looked back at her, watching her giggle for several seconds in silence. Finally, Belle deflated.
Forget it. Why would I pin my hopes on a Nekomata?
She turned back toward Phaga and Ellen, and frustration welled up inside her.
Damn it, I can't afford them!
"Hmm? Miss Proxy, are you looking to hire us? Victoria Housekeeping is at your service."
Sensing a potential client, Phaga's eyes lit up. He rose smoothly and gave a small bow.
Ellen followed belatedly, only standing once Phaga had been upright for some time, before bowing lazily.
"No, no. Even if you sold me off, I couldn't afford your commission."
Belle shook her head quickly, retreating a step and waving her hands.
"Miss Proxy, you worry too much. You'll never know if you can afford it... until you try putting yourself on the market.?"
"Huh? Did you just say—"
"Ahem, nothing."
Phaga coughed twice, then continued, "Victoria Housekeeping is a company that values its friends. Besides, with your status as Proxy Phaethon, our very first collaboration alone would cut the commission fee in half."
"What's more, the 'commission fee' is just a figure of speech. It doesn't necessarily mean Dennies."
Belle hesitated. If she could really commission Victoria Housekeeping without spending much, she'd have more time to explore Hollow Data!
Cautiously, she asked, "Then... what does Victoria Housekeeping want?"
"What you're best at—making carrots."
Phaga tilted his head with a faint smile.
...
By night, the wards had grown quiet, and the hallways were silent.
Lycaon and Corin, still recovering from surgery, lay in their beds. The doctors said it would be some time before they woke.
Ellen set up two folding beds. She and Phaga would keep watch tonight, and Rina would take over tomorrowe.
"Phaga, why did you take a commission with barely any fee? That's not like you."
Ellen sat cross-legged on her bed, turning toward Phaga as she asked softly.
Phaga, calm as ever, rested his chin on one hand while gazing out the window at the night. After a sidelong glance at Ellen, he answered evenly:
"Chemistry exam in the morning. Biology exam in the afternoon."
Uh...
Ellen suddenly remembered—the semester exams were tomorrow! Then maybe this commission really was worth it.
"But isn't the fee too low? You only asked for one carrot."
Ellen still couldn't understand. For Phaga—unmistakably a vampire no matter how you looked at him—to accept a single carrot as payment was baffling.
"One carrot is enough!"
Phaga turned suddenly, leaning on the windowsill with both arms as he chuckled at Ellen.
Then his phone buzzed. He slowly pulled it from his bag and opened Inter-Knot.
[Legendary Proxy: (Zip file)]
[Legendary Proxy: The carrot from Dead End Hollow you wanted.]
[Legendary Proxy: But I still don't get it—why would you want a carrot from a Hollow that's already collapsed by a third?]
[Inter-Knot User: Secret.]
[Legendary Proxy: Fine, I won't pry. See you tomorrow.]
[Inter-Knot User: Good night, Master of Tomorrow.]
After sending the message, Phaga closed the chat and opened the Inter-Knot homepage. In moments, he posted a new update.
[Inter-Knot User: Breaking news—I found this inside Dead End Hollow!]
He immediately pulled out his parasol, aimed it out the window, and flipped the switch. Flames burst from its canopy.
Click!
Phaga snapped a photo, then photoshopped Canvas Street's district map into the background.
[Inter-Knot User: (Attached photo) You wouldn't believe it until you see it—turns out the Old Capital still hides treasures like this!]
[Inter-Knot User: I've got to go back in and see what else is inside! Fellow explorers, you're witnessing the rise of a new star in Hollow raiding!]
[Inter-Knot User: By the way, anyone interested in buying full-detail Dead End Hollow carrot data? Selling for 200,000 Dennies!]
The moment it went up, Inter-Knot exploded in uproar.
[???]
[If I'm not mistaken... isn't this the same rich guy who bought that carrot for 400,000 last time?]