Chapter 388: Are You Guys Playing a Game?
Nicole straightened her posture, instantly pasting on a practiced, shrewd yet remarkably welcoming business smile. "Hello, both of you! I've heard so much about you. I'm Nicole. Please take care of me from now on!" Despite the lingering knot of nerves tightening her stomach, her outward demeanor remained absolutely flawless.
"And these three are Anby, Nekomiya, and Billy," Belle chimed in, gesturing casually toward the trio standing just behind the pink-haired leader.
With the introductions out of the way, the Cunning Hares had officially made the acquaintance of Welt and Himeko. However, just as Nicole parted her lips to deliver a few more honeyed pleasantries and bridge the gap between their groups, an unexpected disruption derailed her train of thought.
Billy, who had managed to appear somewhat composed just seconds prior, suddenly stiffened. The optical sensors in his visor flared with blinding intensity. In a blur of motion, he whipped out a worn notebook and a pen from his jacket.
"Both of you!" Billy's voice crackled, heavy with noticeable electronic static born from sheer, unadulterated excitement. He practically teleported to Welt and Himeko's side, fumbling awkwardly as he thrust the notebook and pen toward them. His visor practically projected cartoonish stars of pure, gushing admiration.
"That battle just now was absolutely incredible! Especially Mr. Welt's mech transformation and Miss Himeko's flaming slash! Could... could I trouble you two for an autograph?! And if it's not too much to ask, please take a photo with me! Please! Thank you so much!!!"
This sudden, unapologetic display of hardcore fanboying plunged the immediate vicinity into a suffocating, eerie silence.
Nicole's polished business smile froze solid. A deep, mortified scarlet crept up her neck and engulfed her face. She desperately scanned the ground for a fissure large enough to swallow her whole, her fingers twitching with the overwhelming urge to bludgeon Billy over the head with her Aether-cannon briefcase.
"Billy! What do you think you're doing?!" she hissed through gritted teeth, dropping her voice to a lethal whisper. "Put that away right now! Have some manners!" She shot frantic, wide-eyed signals toward Anby and Nekomiya, silently begging them to intervene.
Anby and Nekomiya had been momentarily paralyzed by the sheer embarrassment of the situation, but their combat-honed reflexes kicked in a second later.
Before the cyborg could successfully shove his makeshift autograph gear into Welt or Himeko's hands, the two girls blurred forward like striking vipers.
"Billy. Calm down," Anby whispered, locking his arms into a rigid submission hold.
"Let it go, you idiot!" Nekomiya urged anxiously, her tail puffing up as she yanked on the back of his collar.
For a brief moment, the scene devolved into a chaotic, comical wrestling match.
Nicole spun back toward Welt and Himeko, her face a mask of deep embarrassment and apology. She bowed repeatedly, her twin-tails bobbing with each frantic dip. "I am so, so sorry! Truly! Mr. Welt, Miss Himeko, Billy is... well, he's usually a bit of a chuunibyou. A little eccentric! He absolutely didn't mean to offend either of you! Please accept my deepest apologies on his behalf!"
However, to Nicole's utter bewilderment, the two ambushed seniors showed absolutely no signs of displeasure or annoyance. Instead, the corners of Welt's mouth twitched upward, while Himeko's elegant smile only deepened.
Welt adjusted his glasses, the glare of the lenses perfectly concealing a fleeting glint of deep, nostalgic satisfaction—and perhaps a lingering desire for another round.
His first actual combat experience piloting a powerhouse mech like the Tyrant Sword Demon had felt... exceptionally good.
It was a visceral thrill he had fantasized about countless times during his youth. Billy's undisguised admiration and raw enthusiasm unexpectedly validated the subtle, bubbling satisfaction that had arisen from testing his new capabilities.
Naturally, given his usual stoic disposition, this boyish joy remained securely locked away behind a facade of mature composure.
Himeko, on the other hand, let out a genuine, melodic laugh. Her smile was incredibly warm and inclusive, instantly melting away the thick layer of Nicole's mortification.
"It is perfectly alright, Nicole. There is no need to be so nervous," Himeko said gently. Her amber eyes swept over Billy, who was currently being ruthlessly suppressed by Anby and Nekomiya, and a knowing amusement danced in her gaze.
"Stelle acts exactly like this whenever she encounters something new and flashy. She gets so swept up in the excitement that she completely forgets her surroundings."
She took a small, graceful step forward, her tone softening into something deeply cordial. ", Nicole, you really do not need to be so formal with us. We are friends of Wise and Belle, which means we are your friends as well."
"Among friends, it is perfectly fine to be relaxed and natural. Billy was simply expressing his admiration. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that."
Himeko's gentle reassurance and radiant smile formed a staggering contrast to the terrifying presence she had commanded on the battlefield just moments prior. Back then, wielding a massive greatsword and wreathed in apocalyptic flames, she had looked like a Valkyrie descending to deliver divine judgment.
This massive dichotomy caused the members of the Cunning Hares to freeze all over again. Only this time, the root of their stunned silence was neither fear nor shock. Instead, a peculiar sense of relaxation washed over them, accompanied by a collective, silent sigh of relief. 'So that's how it is.'
Nicole blinked rapidly. She stared at the elegant, approachable red-haired woman standing before her, then mentally superimposed the image of the blazing battle goddess who had just cleaved through Ethereals as easily as dicing vegetables. She finally, completely believed what Wise and Belle had told them earlier—a person's combat mode and their daily persona could truly be two entirely different entities.
It seemed these two formidable seniors were not the unapproachable, bloodthirsty battle maniacs she had feared.
She let out a long, shuddering sigh. The lingering embarrassment evaporated, swiftly replaced by the signature cunning yet strangely sincere smile of the Cunning Hares' leader. "Well, since Miss Himeko insists, we'll take you up on that. We'll be relying on you two a lot from now on!"
Just as the atmosphere shifted toward genuine ease and budding camaraderie, another bizarre phenomenon occurred, instantly plunging the Cunning Hares right back into a state of cognitive shock.
Across the scarred battlefield, right where the Aether remnants had been incinerated by the Herrscher of Flamescion's fire or shattered by the Tyrant Sword Demon's energy blade, something strange was happening. Next to the dissipating corpses of Ethereals that had succumbed to stray explosions, soft, glowing boxes began popping into existence out of thin air.
These mysterious containers varied wildly in size and shape. Some flickered with a simple, unassuming white or green light. Others—medium-sized ones resembling heavy ammunition crates—emitted a steady, pulsing blue glow.
A select few, specifically those materializing from the ashes of the high-level Ethereals that Himeko and Welt had personally executed, were far more exquisite. Adorned with complex purple patterns, these premium boxes hovered silently about a foot above the cracked earth, practically begging to be opened.
"What... what in the world are these things?" Nicole's emerald eyes widened to the size of saucers. She pointed a trembling finger at the nearest blue crate, her voice dripping with absolute disbelief.
It wasn't as if she had never seen an Ethereal die before. Those twisted, monstrous creations usually dissolved into scattered Aether dust upon death, occasionally leaving behind some hardened, relatively low-value crystallized remnants.
But these perfectly neat treasure chests—looking exactly like the loot drops from a video game monster—were something she had never witnessed in all her years of diving into the Hollows.
Anby approached a small white box with cautious curiosity. She extended her blade, gently tapping the container with the tip of her knife. The box didn't budge an inch, nor did it trigger any sort of aggressive trap. Its soft light merely flickered in response to the physical contact.
"It really does look like a supply drop from an RPG," Anby murmured, tilting her head. "What could be inside? Ammunition? Medicine?"
Nekomiya's twin tails swayed back and forth in deep confusion. She crouched low, carefully inspecting the box's strange material and ethereal glow. "The energy composition is incredibly stable. This doesn't smell like something naturally generated by the Hollow... and it definitely isn't a severed part of an Ethereal."
Billy, having finally wriggled free from his teammates' grasp, immediately shifted right back into maximum praise mode. "As expected of the Managers' friends! To possess such unique, game-breaking abilities is simply too cool!"
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