Time rewinds to right before Nicole said the line that shocked Wise, Belle, and Chiya.
Inside the Cret Hollow, no one knew how much time had passed.
"Awooo… I've been corrupted by the Hollow… I've turned into a monster… awooo awooo."
"Hey, Anby—don't bite my hand…! Doesn't that hurt your teeth?!"
"Sorry. I wanted to make Nicole feel a little better with a joke." Anby's voice was flat as ever. "Confirming again: I'm not good at this."
Billy let out a long sigh.
"But she's not wrong. We've been in the Hollow too long. Even with Ether aptitude, and with the meds Dr. Chiya made for us… if we can't get food, we can only hold out a bit longer."
Honestly? Lost contact with the Proxy, endless Ethereals, ammunition running low…
Even for an optimistic robot like Billy, it was hard to pretend everything was fine.
If anything, the fact that Anby—usually the careful one—was cracking jokes now was what really surprised him.
Sure, her comedy was worse than that "buy four get one free" Starlight Knight gun oil he always used…
…but still.
And yet, the person Anby was trying to cheer up—Nicole—said nothing at all.
She looked drained.
She pulled out one of the vials Chiya had prepared for them from her suitcase:
"Super♂Invincible♂Ultra-Jacked♂Ether Corrosion Zeroing Agent."
The label was so long it practically covered the whole vial.
Nicole gave a crooked little smile.
"Anby. Billy. Catch."
"Understood."
"I got it I got it I—whoa! That was close! Scared me to death—almost broke!"
"It won't break," Anby said. "Anything Chiya makes is quality."
Billy sighed again.
"Anby, that's his medical skill you're trusting, not the durability of the glass. Every time you buy burgers at 141, don't you notice? Those empty vials are stacked up there like trash."
Anby's cheeks reddened slightly.
Nicole had already tipped the vial into her mouth.
"Strawberry shortcake flavor."
She smacked her lips, savoring the wave of relief spreading through her body as the liquid slid down her throat. Her eyes narrowed in comfort.
Billy held up his own.
"Mine's honeydew melon. Honestly, I've had five of these so far, and except for the first one—which was beef burger flavor—everything's been fruit. Grape, blueberry, watermelon, and now honeydew. If only—"
"AH—AH—AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Billy! Stop making that disgusting noise!"
Nicole finally snapped. She watched Billy crush the vial and smear the medicine all over his body—while screaming like something out of a nightmare—and hurled her empty test tube at him.
"This isn't my fault, Boss Nicole!" Billy protested. "I'm a robot! Dr. Chiya said it himself—topical application works better than oral for me!"
"And you had to scream like a dying demon?!" Nicole roared. "Your scream is so nasty even the Ethereals can't stand it!"
"Sorry, Boss Nicole!" Billy said earnestly. "My sensory module is extremely sensitive. My body is steel, but my mouth can't compete with my steel body!"
Seeing Nicole's mood lift—if only a little—Billy loosened up too.
He looked at her carefully.
"Boss Nicole… you smiled."
Nicole folded her arms and gave a bitter laugh, eyes drifting to the motionless Eous on the ground.
"Yeah. A kid who only cries… even in an orphanage, nobody likes them."
"…Sigh. This really doesn't feel like something I'd do."
"The Cunning Hares, greed above all else—mind your own business, look out for yourself. That was supposed to be my creed."
"Nicole…" / "Boss Nicole…"
Anby and Billy called softly, hearing her sink again.
But Nicole just pulled out another vial, staring at the handwriting on the label—Chiya's handwriting.
Her gaze wandered, voice dropping into a low murmur.
"You idiot… you dumb idiot, naïve idiot…"
"Why did you lend me so much money? Why do you always let me buy on credit? Why can't you see how I feel…?"
"Now look…"
"If this goes on… I, Nicole, and Billy will turn into Ethereals."
"We'll get ugly. So ugly you won't even recognize us."
"And the debt I owe you will become a bad debt."
You'll never get it back.
"When you find out… you'll be sad. But there'll be another woman."
"She'll comfort you. Replace me."
"And with time… you'll forget us—forget me—just like those kids in the orphanage."
"They've seen too much suffering. They get used to scars."
Nicole suddenly chuckled, self-mocking.
"Oh—no, wait. I owe you a huge amount of Denni."
"You definitely won't forget me, huh?"
"And Anby owes you a pile of Denni too—heard the W-Engine she wants just got a new model."
"And Billy owes you Denni as well. Always talking about buying Monica's photo book—never manages to get it…"
"Heh. To be honest, Chiya… I kind of regret it."
"Chiya…" / "Dr. Chiya…"
Even though Nicole kept her voice low, Anby and Billy heard every word.
Anby's eyes dimmed. Her hand pressed to her chest.
Fear—and hope.
She was terrified of dying here.
Not because she feared death itself—she'd already sacrificed her life once for others.
But because she couldn't bear the aftermath.
She couldn't imagine how the living—especially Chiya—would accept the news.
And she feared something else even more:
Nicole's words about another woman replacing her.
"Boss Nicole!"
"I'm so stupid. Really…"
"Boss Nicole!!"
"I only knew this job would make a lot of money… I didn't know it would end like this…"
"BOSS NICOLE!!!"
"Shut up!" Nicole snapped, finally breaking. "Billy! Why are you shouting so loud?!"
Billy drew himself up, voice suddenly fierce.
"Boss Nicole… Dr. Chiya once told me: as long as the patient can still communicate, there's hope of saving them!"
"Boss Nicole—we can't give up hope!!!"
"…Billy."
And at that moment, Anby forced herself back up too.
She couldn't die here.
And she knew one thing: desperate people don't find exits.
Her orange-green eyes locked onto Nicole's pure green ones.
"Nicole. Pull yourself together."
"Say what you really feel."
"Then even if we die… we won't leave regrets behind."
"…Anby."
Nicole patted her cheeks, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath.
She puffed out her chest.
Even though she knew loud noises could draw Ethereals—
she didn't care anymore.
"Fine! Then! I—Nicole of the Cunning Hares—want to be Chiya's dog!!!"
"…."
Anby's blade and Billy's gun trembled so violently they slipped from their hands and hit the ground with a dusty clatter.
Time seemed to freeze.
After a moment—just as Billy hesitantly tried to speak—
a familiar voice suddenly came from inside the previously motionless Eous.
"Uh… Nicole? Are you having a stress-induced split personality episode?"
Nicole's eyes brightened in delirious joy.
"Hehe. Anby, Billy—just saying it out loud feels so much better."
"I even heard my Chiya-chan's voice just now. I'm so happy…"
Elsewhere, the same voice continued, sounding worried.
"Belle, Wise—what do we do? Nicole's having a sudden psychological breakdown."
"If I'd known it'd get this bad, I would've prepared meds for this too…"
Nicole blinked.
"Huh? Why am I still hearing Chiya's voice…?"
She opened her eyes and looked around.
On the ground, "Eous" lifted its head—and met her gaze.
Then, to Nicole's shock, "Eous" raised a hand and waved.
"Nicole—I'm here to save you! Hang in there!"
Belle's lively voice chimed in too.
"Nicole, we've been online for a while now!"
"Chiya! (Dr. Chiya!) And Boss… it's really you guys!"
From the sheer volume of Anby and Billy's voices, Chiya figured they were mostly okay.
He was just about to ask about Nicole's condition when—
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
…Yep.
Looks like it really was just stress.
Physically, she was doing great.
At least her lungs were.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 50)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 50) Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 50)
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